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Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen will spearhead a depleted Indian contingent at this week's Hong Kong Open. The Super 500 event got underway at Kowloon on September 12.
The World No. 13 is the only top-20 singles star from India playing this week as both HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth have decided to skip this tournament. PV Sindhu, too, has decided to stay away as she gears up for the Asian Games that gets underway in Hangzhou, China, from September 23.
Sen will thus want to make the most of this opportunity and get some valuable matches under his belt before heading for the mega continental event. The Canada Open champion has been seeded eighth and will kick off his campaign against qualifier Su Li Yang.
In the second round, he is on course for a rematch with World No. 10 Anders Antonsen, who knocked him out of last week's China Open in the first round.
Priyanshu Rajawat, the other Indian in the men's singles draw, faces World No. 14 Kanta Tsuneyama in the opening round.
India will be represented in the women's singles section by youngsters Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap. Bansod, a qualifier, takes on World No. 17 Zhang Yi Man while Kashyap has World No. 22 Yvonne Li first up.
India's top men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have also skipped this Super 500 event. In their absence, Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala are the sole Indians in the men's doubles draw. They have Korean qualifiers Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Cheol in the first round.
In women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have already made their way into the second round with a three-game win over Debora Jille and Cheryl Seinen.
Qualifiers Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto have Taipei shuttlers Lee Chia Hsin and Teng Chun Hsun in their opener.
In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Sikki Reddy will lock horns with the Singaporean pair of Hee Yong Kai Terry and Tan Wei Han Jessica. Qualifiers Ashwini Ponnappa and Sumeeth Reddy have been drawn against Malaysians Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei.
Hong Kong Open 2023: Schedule
First round: September 12-13, 2023
Second round: September 14, 2023
Quarter-finals: September 15, 2023
Semi-finals: September 16, 2023
Finals: September 17, 2023
Venue: Hong Kong Coliseum, Kowloon
Matches for the first few days are likely to start at 9 am local time/ 6.30 am IST.
Hong Kong Open 2023: Where to watch in India
The Hong Kong Open 2023 will be broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels from Thursday, September 14. The matches will also be shown on Jio Cinema.
Live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV as well. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software throughout the tournament.
Indian contingent playing at Hong Kong Open 2023 (Main draw)
Men's singles: Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat
Women's singles: Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap
Men’s doubles: Krishna Prasad Garaga/Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala
Women's doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa
Mixed doubles: Sumeeth Reddy/Ashwini Ponnappa, Rohan Kapoor/Sikki Reddy
