The All England Championships, a prestigious badminton tournament, will commence on Tuesday, with India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty aiming to continue their impressive form. The duo, fresh off their French Open triumph, will face a formidable challenge in the opening round against Indonesian veterans Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
P V Sindhu, India’s badminton icon, will also face a stern test. She is set to encounter world no. 1 An Se Young in the second round, provided she overcomes Yvonne Li in the first. Sindhu’s recent performances, including a quarterfinal finish at the French Open, indicate that she has recovered from her knee injury.
Lakshya Sen, who boosted his Olympic qualification hopes with a semifinal finish in Paris, will face Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong. A potential clash with fourth-seeded Anders Antonsen awaits him in the second round.
HS Prannoy, who reached the India Open semifinals but exited the French Open early, will hope to make a deep run. He will open against Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang. Kidambi Srikanth, on the other hand, faces a daunting task against world no. 1 Viktor Axelsen in the first round.
In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face Indonesian pair Apriyani Rahayu and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti. Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa will take on Hong Kong’s Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam. Both Indian pairs are vying for a spot at the Paris Olympics.
The All England Championships, once an exclusive event, has now become one of four Super 1000 tournaments on the international calendar. However, it remains an iconic tournament in India, with Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand being the only Indian champions. Saina Nehwal and Lakshya Sen have come close, finishing as runners-up.
