Badminton News : Indian shuttlers set to prove their mettle after dismal showing first event

Indian shuttlers are all set to prove their mettle at the second leg of the Thailand Open. It’s the second Thailand Open added to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) calendar, keeping in mind the majority of the 2020 events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering their poor run in the recently-concluded first edition of Thailand Open, Indian badminton players will be desperate for a good run this time and qualify for the season-concluding BWF World Tour Finals in Bangkok later this month. Reigning women's world champion and Rio 2016 silver-medallist PV Sindhu, faltered in the first round at the last tournament, going down against Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt. Sindhu faces local favourite Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the opening round. Saina Nehwal, a bronze medallist at the London 2012 Olympics, meanwhile faces a tough first-round fixture against a more established Thai badminton player - world No. 5 Ratchanok Intanon. In men's singles, there are concerns over Kidambi Srikanth and Parupalli Kashyap's fitness.