Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec.11: P V Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medalist from India, will seek to defend her title at the BWF World Championships, which begins on Sunday.
Sindhu has been in excellent form this season, winning her second silver medal at the World Tour Finals after finishing in the semifinals of the French Open, Indonesia Masters, and Indonesia Open.
The 26-year-old from Hyderabad will now try to defend her first World championship title, which she won two years ago in Basel, Switzerland.
With the departures of the whole Indonesian contingent as well as other strong players such as two-time winner Kento Momota, the tournament has lost a lot of lustre.
Carolina Marin, the three-time champion, and Nozomi Okuhara, the 2017 winner, have both withdrawn from the women’s singles event.
Saina Nehwal, the London Olympics bronze medalist and 2015 silver medalist, will also miss the World Championships due to multiple ailments for the first time in her career.
While Sindhu is confident in her prospects, regaining the championship will be far more difficult, as she still has to contend with Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong, first seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, and Korea’s teen star An Seyoung.
An Seyoung has been in incredible form, winning back-to-back wins at the Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open before winning her first World Tour Final and being the first player from her country to do so.
Sindhu, who received a first-round bye, will face Martina Repiska, whose first-round opponent Ruselli Hartawan withdrew as well.
If she wins, she’ll face Pornpawee Chochuwong, who has beaten the Indian twice in their previous two matches.
If Sindhu manages to cross the Thai border, she would almost certainly face Tai Tzu, who has a 14-5 head-to-head record against her, including victories in the last four matches.
In men’s singles, 12th seed Kidambi Srikanth, who had difficulty obtaining a visa, will play Spain’s Pablo Abian in his first round, while Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth will face Dutch Mark Caljouw.
