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It has been a busy few weeks for the Indian shuttlers. With the conclusion of the Asian Games, the athletes immediately flew off to play the Arctic Open and are now gearing up for the Victor Denmark Open 2023.
The Super 750 event will see participation from some of the biggest names in world badminton. The tournament will be played in Odense, Denmark, from October 17 to 22.
India’s top shuttlers will take the courts; however, a significant absence will be felt as star Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy has been forced to withdraw from the tournament. Prannoy sustained a back injury that troubled him during his historic bronze medal-winning run at the Asian Games.
The 31-year-old Indian had shown incredible resilience by playing through excruciating back pain. He helped to secure India's first medal in men's singles in 41 years at Hangzhou, but this might have also aggravated the injury.
"We are not looking at playing any tournament this month. Something also came up in the MRI as well, so I will have to be out for 2-3 weeks, so I will not be able to play Denmark and France," Prannoy shared with PTI.
In Prannoy's absence, the Indian contingent's hopes will be carried by two-time Olympic medalist P V Sindhu, who is fresh from a semifinal finish at the Arctic Open last week. She is set to face Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in her opening match.
In the men’s singles categories, Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth, who played a pivotal role in securing India's first-ever silver medal in the men's team event at the Asian Games, will be seen in action. Sen kicks off his campaign against Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen, while Kidambi faces a challenging start against China's Weng Hong Yang.
Priyanshu Rajawat, currently ranked No. 30 in the world, will also face stiff competition in the opening round. He takes on in-form world No. 14 Lee Zii Jia from Malaysia.
India’s campaign in the doubles categories will be spearheaded by the newly-crowned world No. 1 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who also claimed a historic gold at Hangzhou. The pair will be up against Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the first round. The Indian duo might face home favorites Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen in the quarterfinals. Satwik and Chirag lost to the Danish pair in the World Championships earlier this year.
Unfortunately, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will be missed due to Arjun's back injury suffered at the Asian Games. However, the women's pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will return to the court after their Asian Games appearance, and they are set to take on Thailand's Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard.
Denmark Open 2023: (Probable schedule)
First round: October 17-18, 2023
Second round: October 19, 2023
Quarter-finals: October 20, 202
Semi-finals: October 21, 2023
Finals: October 22, 2023
Indian contingent playing at the Denmark Open 2023
Men's singles: Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat
Women’s singles: PV Sindhu
Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty
Women's doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand
