Srikanth leads Indian challenge at German Open

Mülheim an der Ruhr: Veteran shuttler Kidambi Srikanth and World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi Sharma will headline the Indian contingent at the German Open Super 300 tournament beginning here on Tuesday.

Former world No. 1 Srikanth, who clinched a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships, showed encouraging form last season with runner-up finishes at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 and the Syed Modi International Super 300, though a title has remained elusive.

The 31-year-old had slipped to 82 in the rankings but has since climbed back to world No. 32 and is working to further improve his position to secure direct entries into the higher-tier Super 750 and Super 1000 events. In women’s singles, 16-year-old Tanvi, currently ranked 40, will face Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching in the opening round.

Tanvi had stretched world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi and world No. 12 Tomoka Miyazaki to three games at the India Open and Indonesia Masters earlier this season. She also stunned world No. 17 Busanan

Ongbamrungphan.