As the top players around the world get ready for the Olympics, starting in August, the badminton calendar rolls on with two events taking place simultaneously in different parts of the world.
The Canada Open Grand Prix gold begins in Calgary from Tuesday.With most big names opting out, keeping in mind the close proximity to the Summer Games, India’s Ajay Jayaram will be the top seed in the competition and had received a bye in the 1st round.
The second seed in the event will be 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix gold winner HS Prannoy who will look to get his second half of the season off to a good start, after a disappointing Thomas Cup campaign in May.
In the Women’s Singles, the spotlight will be on Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, who produced that superb win over Nitchaon Jindapol in the Uber Cup quarterfinal in May.
For some the surprises of the Olympic contingent, India’s Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy will also bee seen in action. Seeded one in the competition, the duo have a got in their 1st round.
But the biggest hopes in the competition will be pinned on the Women’s Doubles pairing of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa who will look to defend the title that they won in 2015, thereby gaining some confidence ahead of Rio 2016.
While the competition may not boast of many high-profile, it still provides players with an opportunity to gain valuable points and climb up that rankings ladder.
