Ayush, Tanvi to carry Indian hopes

Orleans : Youngsters Ayush Shetty and Tanvi Sharma will lead India’s challenge at the $250,000 Orleans Masters Super 300 beginning here on Tuesday after senior shuttler HS Prannoy pulled out due to a shoulder injury.

Prannoy, who was originally slated to face top seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the opening round, was forced to withdraw after experiencing shoulder pain during the Swiss Open in Basel last week.

While the cause of his discomfort was unclear initially, the Indian had decided to pull out of his match against Japan’s Koki Watanabe to avoid aggravating the injury.

While Prannoy will miss the event, the rest of the Indian contingent will look to make a deep run in the tournament.

All eyes will be on eighth seed and world No. 25 Ayush Shetty, who won the US Open Super 300 last year, as he opens his campaign against Lee Chia Hao of Chinese Taipei. Former world No. 1 and currently ranked 30th, Kidambi Srikanth will face Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen.Tharun Mannepalli takes on Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei. agencies