Canada Open 2023 | PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen look for better returns
Top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will be seen in action at the Canada Open 500, starting from Tuesday. This will be an important tournament for the duo, who have slipped considerably in the rankings, with the Olympic qualification period having started last month.
Sindhu, who was a regular in the top 10 for a few years, slipped to world no.12 and doesn't look in the best of touches at the moment. After having sustained an injury during the CWG 2022, she hasn't played at her best and would like to change that in Canada, where she is the fourth seed.
Having said that, she has shone in patches, when she was a runners-up at the Madrid Masters. She would face local challenger Talia NG in the opening round.
On the other hand, eighth-seeded Japan’s Nozomi Okahara, against whom Sindhu has a 9-8 win-loss record, is likely to be India’s quarterfinal challenger. Later in the draw, she could be up against the top seed, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan. Interestingly, Sindhu holds a 14-10 record against the Japanese girl.
Sen, one of India's brightest prospects, has slipped to world no. 19 this year due to health reasons. He has made as many as four first-round exits in the circuit, with his best coming at the Indonesia Masters, where he reached the quarters. He is trying to find form after his nose surgery.
“Recovery was not really good. Whenever I was in training, I was getting injured or sick. Then I had to take a step back for a bit because, for the first two months, I didn’t have any idea that it could be this serious. I made a lot of changes in my foot, and also in the training load,” he told BWF.
He will face second-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the opening round.