GUWAHATI: The Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2024 International Badminton Tournament flagged off on January 16 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, organised by the Badminton Association of India (BAI).
A total of 247 shuttlers from 23 countries are participating in this competition, recently upgraded from Super 500 to Super 750. India started the campaign on a positive note as star shuttler HS Prannoy secured a victory in the first round of the men's singles category, defeating Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei with a score of 21-6, 21-19. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Indian contingent, as Lakshya Sen faced defeat against Priyanshu Rajawat, losing 21-16, 16-21, 13-21, exiting the tournament in the first round.
The tournament holds significant importance for Indian players aiming to qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics. By April 30, India has the opportunity to secure two spots in the men's singles category's top 16 rankings for the Paris Olympics. The defeat today poses a challenge for Lakshya Sen with only three months left for the eligibility countdown.
The 10-member Indian team comprises:
Men’s singles: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Kidambi Srikanth
Men’s doubles: Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
Women’s doubles: Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand
Japan emerged as the largest team in the tournament with five players in men's singles, four in women's singles, and 10 each in men's and women's doubles, along with participation in mixed doubles. China closely follows as the second-largest team with 34 players, while Chinese Taipei boasts 23 players in the competition.
The Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2024 offers prize money of 8,50,000 US dollars and will conclude on January 21. Unfortunately, PV Sindhu will not be participating due to injury, adding a notable Indian absence to the competition.