Experienced shuttler HS Prannoy will spearhead the Indian challenge at the USD 500,000 Korea Open Super 500 tournament beginning on Tuesday. The development comes after newly-crowned Hylo Open champion Lakshya Sen decided to withdraw from the prestigious competition.
Sen, who recently revived his campaign with a brilliant title triumph in Germany, was originally scheduled to face China’s Dong Tian Yao in his opening fixture. In his absence, the onus falls heavily on Prannoy, a 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, to navigate a competitive men’s singles draw and make a deep run in South Korea.
Tournament Draw and Key Fixtures
Prannoy will begin his campaign in the tournament against home favourite Yoo Tae Bin. The men’s singles category features a formidable international lineup, including top seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, Japan’s third seed Kodai Naraoka, and Canada’s Victor Lai.
- HS Prannoy starts his campaign against local player Yoo Tae Bin in the opening round.
- Tanvi Sharma faces Japan’s Manami Suizu, looking to build on her breakthrough Taipei Open success.
- Malvika Bansod draws a difficult opening test against fourth seed Sim Yu Jin of South Korea.
- Anmol Kharb enters the fray against Canada’s Rachel Chan after reaching the semifinals in Germany.
Other Indian Contenders
In the women’s singles division, young talents are aiming to carry winning momentum forward. Anmol Kharb, who reached the semifinals at the recent Hylo Open including a clash against two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, will test herself against international opposition once again. Meanwhile, Tanvi Sharma and Malvika Bansod are also set for tough opening-round battles against seeded players.
In the doubles events, Sonali Singh and Ritika Thaker will represent the nation in women’s doubles against Australia’s Laudya Chelsea Griselda and Nozomi Shimizu. Additionally, Dhruv Rawat and K. Maneesha carry Indian hopes in the mixed doubles draw, where they face seventh seeds Zhu Yi Jun and Li Qian of China.
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