Australian Open 2022 | Sameer Verma lone Indian star in the mix
Following several withdrawals from the BWF Super 300 match in Sydney, Sameer Verma will lead a diminished Indian team in the Australian Open badminton competition in 2022. The last competition on BWF Tour before the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou in December is the Australian Open.
The BWF Super 300 competition will not feature Commonwealth Games champions PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, or Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. Lakshya Sen will not play because of a throat illness, while PV Sindhu is currently recovering from an ankle ailment. The French Open champion doubles team of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy is also skipping the competition.
Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth was scheduled to compete in the men's singles event in Sydney, but the silver medalist from the world championships withdrew from the competition late on Monday. To qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals in China later this month, Kidambi Srikanth, who is presently ranked 10th in the Race to Guangzhou, needs to win the competition. It's no longer an option, though.
The only Indian badminton players who have already qualified for the season finale are HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu. However, Sindhu has previously said that she would not compete in the Finals owing to an ankle ailment. Saina Nehwal was on the initial application list for the Sydney event but, like Srikanth, withdrew after four consecutive first-round losses. The Olympic medalist was joined by Malvika Bansod on the list of last-minute dropouts.
In the men's singles, Tanya Hemnath and Anwesha Gowda will lead the Indian challenge, while Sameer Verma and Mithun Manjunath will compete in the women's singles.
Where to watch?
On the BWF TV YouTube account, live streaming of the Australian Open 2022 will also be accessible.
No Indian TV station has confirmed that it would broadcast the Australian Open badminton competition live.
Indian Squad
Men’s singles: Mithun Manjunath, Sameer Verma
Women’s singles: Tanya Hemanth, Anwesha Gowda
Men's doubles: Hariharan Amsakarunan/ Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi
Women's doubles: Simran Singhi/ Ritika Thaker, Rutaparna Panda/ Swetaparna Panda