Star Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy will look to display his fearless brand of badminton in his quest for glory on his maiden appearance in the season-ending tournament on the BWF calendar.
With double Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu skipping the event due to an injury, Prannoy will be the lone Indian at the year-ending tournament, which was moved from Guangzhou, China, due to the rise in COVID-19 infection cases.
One of the most consistent Indian players in the circuit this season, Prannoy has been clubbed in Group A along with Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and China’s Lu Guang Zu.
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Prannoy will take on Japanese Kodai Naroka, who has been chosen as the Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year by the BWF, on Wednesday.
Among others in the field, Chou Tien Chen, Jonatan Christie, Anthony Ginting, and Loh Kean Yew are strong contenders.
For India, Sindhu is the only one to win the prestigious title, while Sameer Verma reached the semifinals in the 2018 edition.
In women’s singles, defending champion An Se Young, world champion Akane Yamaguchi, Olympic champion Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao, who claimed Denmark Open and French Open titles, are all strong contenders.
Tai Tzu Ying and Ratchanok Intanon might not have had a great season, but their past years’ achievements will keep them in contention.
With PTI inputs
