PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen lead Indian challenge in US Open Badminton

Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen will be spearheading the Indian challenge at the US Open Badminton tournament. The competition, which commences on July 11 and runs until July 16, will be held in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and marks the 16th tournament on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour 2023 calendar.

PV Sindhu, currently ranked 15th in the BWF World Rankings, recently reached the semi-finals of the Canada Open where she faced a tough defeat against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, the world number one. Despite a relatively challenging year, Sindhu showcased her prowess by reaching the final of the Madrid Spain Masters in March. She will be facing a qualifier in the first round of the US Open. Joining Sindhu in the women's singles main draw are Gadde Ruthvika Shivani, while Imad Farooqui Samiya begins her campaign from the qualifiers.

Lakshya Sen, fresh off his victory at the Canada Open, enters the US Open with momentum on his side. Currently ranked 19th in the world, he claimed his first silverware of the year by defeating All England Open champion Li Shi Feng of China. As the third seed in this tournament, Sen will face Finland's Kalle Koljonen, ranked 51st, in the round of 32.

The men's doubles competition will miss the star duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. India's hopes in men's doubles rest solely on Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala, who will face Lin Yu Chieh and Su Li Wei of Chinese Taipei in their opening match. In women's doubles, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will represent India in the main draw, along with Apeksha Nayak and Ramya Chickmenhalli Venkatesh.