Kidambi Srikanth Returns to Badminton at Macau Open 2024
New Delhi [India], September 24: Former World number one Kidambi Srikanth will be making his return to badminton during the Macau Open competition starting on Tuesday as a part of a 23-member Indian contingent.
Srikanth, 31, has not featured in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) tour circuit since his injury during the Singapore Open back in May. Now, he returns as a sixth-seed for the BWF Super 300 event.
The 2021 World Championships medalist made it to the semifinals of the Swiss Open in March this year but struggled to reach beyond pre-quarterfinals in nine other tournaments played this year.
Talented shuttler Malvika Bansod, who downed the Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia to reach the last eight stage of the China Open just last week, has pulled out of the tournament.
Third seed Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will be India’s biggest hope in the women’s doubles competition during the tournament, having reached the semifinals of the Singapore Open BWF Super 750 event earlier this June. But they are yet to win a title this year.
Commonwealth Games medalists N Sikki Reddy and B Sumeeth Reddy will spearhead India’s charge in the mixed doubles competition.
Prominent Indian stars from the Paris Olympics 2024, including two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, will not be playing in the Macau Open, which will conclude on Sunday.
Macau Open 2024: Indian Badminton Squad
Men’s Singles
Mithun Manjunath, Sameer Verma, Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth [6], S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, Chirag Sen; Qualifiers: Tharun Mannepalli, Aryamann Tandon, Alap Mishra, Darshan Pujari
Women’s Singles
Anupama Upadhyaya, Tanya Hemanth, Tasnim Mir, Devika Sihag, Isharani Baruah
Women’s Doubles
Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand [3], Apoorva Gahlawat/Sakshi Gahlawat; Qualifiers: Ruthvika Shivani Gadde/N Sikki Reddy
Mixed Doubles
B Sumeeth Reddy/N Sikki Reddy, Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde
Men’s Doubles
N/A
Doubts Revealed
Kidambi Srikanth -: Kidambi Srikanth is a famous Indian badminton player who was once the best in the world.
Macau Open 2024 -: The Macau Open 2024 is a badminton tournament that will happen in Macau, a special region in China, in the year 2024.
injury hiatus -: An injury hiatus means taking a break from playing because of getting hurt.
sixth-seed -: Being a sixth-seed means he is ranked as the sixth best player in the tournament.
BWF Super 300 -: BWF Super 300 is a level of badminton tournaments organized by the Badminton World Federation, where players can earn points and prizes.
PV Sindhu -: PV Sindhu is another famous Indian badminton player who has won many medals, including an Olympic silver and bronze.
Lakshya Sen -: Lakshya Sen is a young and talented Indian badminton player.
Gayatri Gopichand -: Gayatri Gopichand is an Indian badminton player and the daughter of Pullela Gopichand, a famous badminton coach.
Treesa Jolly -: Treesa Jolly is an Indian badminton player who plays in doubles events.
N Sikki Reddy -: N Sikki Reddy is an Indian badminton player who competes in doubles and mixed doubles events.
B Sumeeth Reddy -: B Sumeeth Reddy is an Indian badminton player who plays in doubles and mixed doubles events.
Malvika Bansod -: Malvika Bansod is an Indian badminton player who has decided not to play in this tournament.