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The badminton circuit makes its way Down Under this week, with the Australian Open Badminton 2023, scheduled to be held in Sydney from August 1-6, 2023. The Super 500 event will see a bevy of stars vying for the title and points over the course of the week.
All eyes will be on the resurgent Lakshya Sen, who looks to have stormed back to form this month. The Commonwealth Games champion had a memorable July, finishing with the Canada Open title and a couple of semifinals at the Japan Open and the US Open. Now ranked 13th, Sen will begin his campaign in an all-Indian first-round clash with Kiran George.
HS Prannoy, the sixth seed at this tournament, is coming off a quarterfinal loss at the Japan Open, where he stretched eventual champion Viktor Axelsen to three games before bowing out. The Malaysia Masters winner will look to take the positives from that performance as he kickstarts his challenge in Sydney against World No. 16 Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Former champion Kidambi Srikanth faces familiar foe, the 11th-ranked Kenta Nishimoto, who has already beaten him twice this year.
Among the other Indians, Mithun Manjunath has fourth seed Loh Kean Yew first up, while Orleans Masters champion Priyanshu Rajawat takes on Australian wildcard Nathan Tang.
Following a couple of first-round exits at the Korea Open and the Japan Open, the fifth-seeded PV Sindhu will look for a turnaround of fortunes at the Australian Open Badminton. The former world champion is now down to 17th in the world rankings after a disastrous season so far, where she has managed to reach just a solitary final at the Madrid Spain Masters.
Sindhu will be keen to get back to winning ways, with the BWF World Championships and the Asian Games coming up in the next few weeks. Her partnership with new coach Muhammad Hafiz Hashim is yet to bear fruit. The two-time Olympic medalist, who meets compatriot Ashmita Chaliha in the opener, will hope that the Australian Open Badminton is finally the tournament where she is able to deliver.
Aakarshi Kashyap faces World No. 34 Goh Jin Wei, Malvika Bansod has World No. 21 Pai Yu Po, while Tasnim Mir meets the 56th-ranked Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi in the opening round.
In women's doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand will square off against Canadians Catherine Choi/Josephine Wu. Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa will cross swords with Indonesians Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi.
The mixed doubles section, too, will see two Indian pairs in the draw. Rohan Kapoor/Sikki Reddy face the third seeds Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Yung. Sumeeth Reddy/Ashwini Ponnappa will take on the Japanese combine of Hiroki Midorikawa/Natsu Saito.
There is no Indian representation in the men's doubles category.
Australian Open Badminton 2023: Schedule
Qualifying rounds: August 1, 2023
First round: August 1-2, 2023
Second round: August 3, 2023
Quarter-finals: August 4, 2023
Semi-finals: August 5, 2023
Finals: August 6, 2023
Venue: State Sports Centre in Sydney, Australia
Matches for the first few days are likely to start at 9 am local time/ 4.30 am IST.
Australian Open Badminton 2023: Where to watch in India
The Australian Open Badminton 2023 will not be broadcast live on any channel in India. Live streaming will, however, be available on YouTube on BWF.TV. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software throughout the competition.
Indian contingent playing at Australian Open Badminton 2023 (Main draw)
Men's singles: HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Mithun Manjunath, Kiran George.
Women's singles: PV Sindhu, Aakarshi Kashyap, Malvika Bansod, Tasnim Mir, Ashmita Chaliha.
Women's doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa.
Mixed doubles: Sikki Reddy/Rohan Kapoor, Sumeeth Reddy/Ashwini Ponnappa.
