BWF World Tour French Open 2024: India’s biggest medal hopefuls ft. PV Sindhu & Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty
Badminton’s French Open 2024, a BWF World Tour Super 750 event, gets underway in Paris on Tuesday, March 5. The tournament will feature most of the biggest stars in the sports and will be a key event in the run-up to the Olympics later this year.
For the Indian fans also, the French Open holds great importance as the country’s leading shuttlers will be in action.
Except for mixed doubles, India is represented in all divisions. With the biggest names in the sport against them, Indian players’ performance in the French Open would be a good indicator of their prospects for the 2024 Olympics.
Here, we look at the biggest medal contenders from India who will be in action in Paris this week and their chances of winning.
HS Prannoy – Men’s Singles
Currently ranked seventh in the world, HS Prannoy would be leading India’s charge in the men’s singles contest of the French Open. He will have the company of Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, and Priyanshu Rajawat in this division. But it is the Kerala-born shuttler who is most likely to enter the medal rounds.
Prannoy needs to regain his form after a poor effort in the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024. He lost two of his three singles matches in the tournament.
In the French Open, Prannoy would be up against China’s Lu Guang Zu in the first round. Although the Chinese shuttler is an underdog, taking him lightly would be perilous for Prannoy. He is ranked 19th in the world and defeated Prannoy in the 2022 World Tour Finals group stage.
In the second round, if Prannoy gets there, he will face either Chou Tien Chen or his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth. If he makes it to the third round, World No. 2 Shi Yu Qi might be his opponent. The Chinese star has been inconsistent in his career but has been getting back to near his best.
PV Sindhu – Women’s Singles
After a miserable 2023 and an injury break, PV Sindhu would be looking to get back to winning ways in the Olympic year. This will be Sindhu’s maiden tournament in 2024. Having gone back to her old coach Pullela Gopichand for polishing her game, the tournament will be a litmus test for the two-time Olympic medalist.
In the Badminton Asia Team Championships, Sindhu won three of her four matches. However, she didn’t face any of the top players and hence, didn’t get tested properly.
Her first opponent in Paris would be Michelle Li of Canada. A mid-card player, Michelle does have the ability to turn the tables on big names. In the second round, the leading Indian shuttler is likely to face her long-time nemesis Carolina Marin. This match, if it materializes, will give a good indication of where Sindhu stands after working with Gopichand.
Needless to say, this tournament is very crucial for the former World Champion from India. In the past, she has shown a tendency to up her game in the run-up to major tournaments. Whether she does so again remains to be seen.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty – Men’s Doubles
The top seeds in the division, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty wouldn’t like to settle for anything less than a medal.
Being top seeds, they are unlikely to face much of a challenge in the first two rounds. In the third round, they may come across the World No. 8 pair of Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi of China. This also shouldn’t be a major challenge for the celebrated Indian duo.
The only other major threat on their route to the final is the Malaysian pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
It’s the lower half of the draw where the Indonesian heavyweights are positioned. The Indian pair may have to face one of these teams in the final. The second seeds and World No. 2 pair of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang are also title contenders.
Satwiksairaj and Chirag are India’s biggest hopes in the French Open 2024. A gold would set them nicely on course for a medal, hopefully, gold, in the Olympics.
Other Indians in the fray
Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen are two players who could spring a surprise in this tournament. While Sen hasn’t had a good run in the World Tour this year so far, Srikanth hasn’t done any better. But both have the quality to, on their day, bring down one of the favorites.
The women’s doubles have two Indian pairs in contention – Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Tanisha Crasto-Ashwani Ponnappa. The Crasto-Ponnappa pair is not likely to medal, but one can hope for better results from Jolly and Gopichand, especially since their brilliant performance in the Badminton Asia Team Championships recently.