P V Sindhu

Another player who burst onto the scene very early, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu's name first rang into the public’s ears when she pulled off a massive upset as a 17-year-old, defeating the reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui in three games at the Chinese International. A year later, she made her presence felt at the World Championships, becoming only the third Indian to win a medal at the World Championships, by winning the bronze and then repeated that feat the following year, finishing third at the coveted event, once again. 2015 proved to be a on-and-off year for her as she won the Macau Open, but faltered in several major events. With Rio 2016, which will also be her maiden Olympics, coming up, the lanky 20-year-old will hope to shine and make it a memorable experience for her as well as India. Sindhu has had an eventful 2017 so far, winning the Indian Open and the Korea Open, and also making it to the final of the BWF World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.