Lucknow: Senior shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy will look to end the season on a high but they will face stiff challenge from a crop of ambitious youngsters, gearing up to test themselves against top players at the Syed Modi International Super 300, beginning here on Tuesday.
The $240,000 event also lost a bit of sheen with US Open champion Ayush Shetty withdrawing from the event at the last moment after competing in the recent Australian Open.
Former champion Srikanth appeared to have found a second wind with a runner-up finish at the Malaysia Masters, but he could not build on that momentum. Now, a home event gives him another chance to end the year on a positive note. Prannoy, recovering from a side strain that forced him out of the European leg in October, also returns hungry for success.
The 2023 world championships bronze winner competed at the Japan Masters and the Australian Open over the last two weeks but bowed out in the second round on both occasions.Fifth seed Srikanth will open against Meiraba Luwang Maisnam, while third seed Prannoy faces Kavin Thangam in his first round.
All eyes will also be on sixth seed Tharun Mannepalli, who takes on Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, while S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian will also back himself when he opens against Manraj Singh.
Mithun Manjunath meets Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Panarin, while Priyanshu Rajawat returns to action after a long injury lay-off caused by a knee issue. BM Rahul Bharadwaj will look to make a statement against Tarun Reddy Katam, Kiran George faces Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko, Alap Mishra meets Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen, and Rithvik Sanjeevi Satish Kumar runs into top seed Jia Heng Jason Teh of Singapore. The women’s singles field features a host of emerging Indian talents, with Nozomi Okuhara standing out as the top overseas name.