India's top-ranked badminton player HS Prannoy is poised to make a highly anticipated comeback at the Japan Masters Super 500 tournament after recovering from a back injury. Prannoy withdrew from the Denmark and French Open due to the injury, which had troubled him during his historic bronze medal performance at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. The 31-year-old, sporting heavy tape on his back, secured India's first men's singles medal in 41 years at the Hangzhou event.
Returning to action after a four-week hiatus, the bronze medalist from the World Championships aims to take a cautious approach, stating, "I am just taking it a little slowly, not rushing up on the injury side." Prannoy expressed that his condition has improved since the Asian Games, and he has resumed training. The key challenge for him is managing the workload correctly, a crucial aspect for players in the coming years.
If Prannoy progresses through the initial rounds, he could face a significant challenge against second-seeded Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia in the quarterfinals. The Japan Masters Super 500 tournament also presents opportunities for young shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth to earn valuable ranking points for Olympic qualification.
While Prannoy comfortably sits within the Olympic qualification bracket at world No. 8, Sen (No. 17) and Srikanth (No. 23) aim to accumulate more points to secure their positions before the Paris cut-off date. Sen, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, has experienced a dip in form, and he faces a tough opening match against third-seeded Kodai Naraoka.
Srikanth, starting his campaign against a qualifier, needs strong performances to garner crucial ranking points. Priyanshu Rajawat is another Indian in the men's singles category, set to compete against Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei.
In the women's singles, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, seeded eighth, will challenge unseeded Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark. Sindhu, with a 6-1 record against the world No. 18 Danish shuttler, aims to make a significant impact in the tournament.
India's formidable doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been given the top billing and will commence their campaign against Chinese Taipei's Elu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han. As the badminton action unfolds, all eyes are on Prannoy's comeback and the young talents' quest for Olympic qualification points in this prestigious tournament.
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