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Olympic champions Viktor Axelsen and Chen Yufei will lead a star-studded field as former winner PV Sindhu returns to action at the India Open 2023, scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi from January 17-22.
Reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi, who currently occupies the top spot in the women's singles category, will also compete at this event.
Commonwealth Games gold medalist Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty will return to defend their titles. Kidambi Srikanth, who won the event in 2015, is also part of the line-up.
Some of the top international names from the world of badminton will descend on the Indian capital for the tournament that will kickstart the new season. Former World No. 1 Kento Momota is among the entries from 32 countries, along with Shi Yuqi, Anders Antonsen, and Lee Zii Jia in the men's singles.
Among the women, former world champions Nozomi Okuhara and Ratchanok Intanon will vie for the title with the likes of Korean sensation An Se Young, who counts PV Sindhu among her prized scalps.
Having been held as a Super 500 event since 2018, the India Open has been upgraded to the status of a Super 750 tournament, starting in 2023. Among other changes, spectators will return to the stands for the first time since 2019.
PV Sindhu will be in action for the first time since the Commonwealth Games
PV Sindhu will be back on the court for the first time in five months at the India Open. The Pullela Gopichand protégé last competed at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in August.
While the World No. 6 won gold, a stress fracture on her ankle on her way to glory kept her out of action for the rest of the year. During this period, PV Sindhu missed a series of important tournaments, including the BWF World Championships and the BWF World Tour Finals.
Sindhu will hope to put her injury woes behind her and start the new season on a strong note at home.
