P.V. Sindhu to skip Syed Modi International Championship

Saina will be the only worthy home challenger to the women’s singles title; among the men, all eyes will be on defending champion Sameer Verma.

World champion P. V. Sindhu will be a notable absentee in the Syed Modi International badminton championship in Lucknow.

 

Like last year, World champion P. V. Sindhu will be the notable absentee when the main draw action of the Syed Modi International badminton championship opens at Lucknow on November 27.

In Sindhu’s absence, last year’s runner-up Saina Nehwal will be the only worthy home challenger to the women’s singles title. Saina, struggling with form and fitness, is seeded third behind China’s He Bingjiao and Canada’s Li Michelle.

Also in the hunt is the Olympic champion Carolina Marin, seeded four and defending champion Han Yu, seeded six.

Among the men, the Indian challenge is much stronger in the presence of K. Srikanth, B. Sai Praneeth and defending champion Sameer Verma, seeded three to five. China’s Shi Yuqi is the top seed, followed by Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus.

The in-form men’s doubles combination of World No. 9 Satwiksaijraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are seeded second behind China’s Han Cheng Hai and Zhou Hao Dong.

In women’s doubles, where the top three seeds are from China, Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy are seeded eighth. In mixed doubles, Indians are not seeded.