Malaysia Open | Kidambi Srikanth, PV Sindhu aim to bounce back

Malaysia Open | Kidambi Srikanth, PV Sindhu aim to bounce back

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India Open runners-up Kidambi Srikanth will look to end his title drought by going all the way in the upcoming BWF Malaysia Open, which is set to start tomorrow. PV Sindhu, who lost in the semis of the India Open, will hope to have an easy outing in her opening game against Japan’s Aya Ohiri.

Kidambi Srikanth would hope to put away his disappointment of finishing second in the recently concluded India Open as he strives to end his long title drought at the USD 700,000 Malaysia Open, which starts on Tuesday. Srikanth, who last won a title at the 2017 French Open, came close to ending the long wait for a title but lost in the finals of the India Open to Denmark's Viktor Axelsen on Sunday.

On Wednesday, Srikanth will start his campaign in a qualifier following the withdrawal of Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei, who was supposed to play his first event after recovering from nose cancer.

"I'm just happy how it has been last week. I just want to take it the way it comes. I know I was trailing in most of the matches but somehow I wanted this kind of momentum. I wanted these kinds of wins and want to continue this form now," Srikanth told PTI after the loss on Saturday.

Meanwhile, PV Sindhu, seeded fifth, will open her campaign with a match against Japan's Aya Ohori in the opening round of the BWF World Tour Super 750. She is likely to get a chance to avenge her first-round loss at the All England Championship against Sung Ji Hyun of Korea, who she is expected to face in the second round.

Indonesia Masters champion Saina Nehwal will look to go all the way in Malaysia after she ended up skipping the Swiss Open and India Open. The eighth-seeded Indian will face Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong in the first round.

Among others, H S Prannoy will face-off against Hong Kong's Ng Ka Long Angus while Sameer Verma will face a tough task in the form of world number two Shi Yuqi of China.

Men's doubles pair Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy, the only Indian pair to reach the semifinals at New Delhi last week, will face seventh seed Chinese pair of Han Chengkai and Zhou Haodong in the first round, while Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will take on Korean pair of Baek Ha Na and Kim Hye Rin.

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