Star Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen have started their campaigns at All England Open Badminton Championships 2022 with respective wins in Birmingham, UK. In the four-day event, India are being represented by nine singles players and six doubles teams. (More Badminton News)
The only major title missing from Sindhu’s cabinet, the two-time Olympic medallist will be aiming for her maiden All England Open Badminton Championships crown, having reached the women’s singles semifinals twice in 2018 and 2021.
The All England Open Badminton Championships 2022 can be seen live on the subscription-based Voot Select platform and Jio TV in India. The matches start at 2:30 PM IST. MTV and VH1 TV Channels will also live telecast the All England Open Badminton Championships 2022 in India.
Only two Indians have ever won the All England Open Badminton Championships – Prakash Padukone in 1980 and Pullela Gopichand in 2001. Ranked No.7 in the world, Sindhu defeated Chinese world No. 17 Wang Zhi Yi in her first round. She will face Sayaka Takahashi of Japan next.
Another Indian Olympic medallist, unseeded Saina Nehwal too started with a win over Beatriz Corrales of Spain. She faces second seed Japanese Akane Yamaguchi in the second round.
An all-Indian quarterfinal is on cards provided both Saina and Sindhu win their opening two matches. In the men’s singles, both Lakshya and Kidambi Srikanth entered the second round with ease.
While Lakshya beat fellow countryman Sourabh Verma and will face world No. 3 Anders Antonsen next. Srikanth, who became the first Indian to bag silver at World Championships last year in Spain, got better of Thai Kantaphon Wangcharoen.
Srikanth will next face Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia, who got better of Indian Parupalli Kashyap 21-11, 21-18. If everything goes well, a Srikanth versus top seed and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the quarterfinals is on cards.
Among other Indians in men’s singles, B Sai Praneeth lost to Axelsen 20-22, 11-21 in the first-round match that lasted 48 minutes. HS Prannoy went down fighting to German Open 2022 winner Thai player Kunlavut Vitidsarn 15-21, 22-24 in 56 minutes.
In men’s doubles, fifth-seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Scottish pair of Alexander Dunn and Adam Hall 21-17, 21-19 in 38 minutes.
Indians at All England Open Badminton Championships 2022
Women’s Singles: PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal
Men’s Singles: Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, B Sai Praneeth, Sourabh Verma, Parupalli Kashyap, Sameer Verma
Women’s Doubles: Ashwini Ponnappa-N Sikki Reddy, Srivedya Gurazada-Ishika Jaiswal (USA)
Men’s Doubles: Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rakireddy, MR Arjun-Dhruv Kapila, Krishna Prasad Garage-Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala
Mixed Doubles: Ishaan Bhatnagar-Tanisha Crasto, Gaurav Prasad-Juhi Dewanagan
