India’s star badminton players PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy have been placed in relatively easy groups for the Paris Olympics. Sindhu, a silver medalist at the Rio Olympics and a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, has been ranked 10th.
With the Paris Olympics just days away, the groups for the badminton tournament have been decided. Both two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and debutant HS Prannoy find themselves in favourable categories. The badminton competition at the Olympics is set to begin on July 27.
Sindhu, currently ranked 13th in the world, has been drawn in Group M of the women’s singles. She will compete against Estonia’s Kristin Kuuba (world ranking 75) and Maldives’ Fatima Nabaha Abdul Razzaq (world ranking 111). As Sindhu aims for her third consecutive Olympic medal, she could potentially face sixth seed Bing Xiao in the pre-quarterfinals.
Prannoy, ranked 13th and making his Olympic debut, is seeded in Men’s Singles Group C alongside Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat (world ranking 70) and Germany’s Fabian Roth (world ranking 82). Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen, ranked 19th in the world, has been placed in Group L.
Lakshya Sen’s group includes Indonesia’s third-ranked Jonathan Christie, Kevin Cordon (world ranking 41), and Belgium’s Julien Karagi (world ranking 52). If Prannoy and Lakshya top their respective groups, they could face each other in the semi-quarterfinals.
On the other hand, the Indian women’s doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, ranked 19th in the world, have a tough draw in Group C. Their group includes Japan’s fourth-ranked pair Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalists Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong of South Korea, and Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu of Australia.
As for the men’s doubles, the draw has not yet been announced. However, the Indian men’s pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded third, are considered strong medal contenders. The men’s doubles draw for the Paris Olympics has been postponed due to a case heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Badminton World Federation has yet to confirm the new draw date.
