French Open 2024: Preview and schedule of the tournament
India’s top shuttlers will return to action at the Yonex French Open 2024. After an incredible outing at the Badminton Asia Team Championships and a well-deserved rest in February, PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, HS Prannoy, and several other top Indian shuttlers will head to Paris and then Birmingham to take part in the French Open and All England Open, respectively.
The French Open, a Super 750 event taking place from March 5 to 10, will see participation from some of the biggest names in world badminton. The tournament will be returning to Paris, France, after taking place in Rennes, France, last year.
Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu made a spectacular return from an injury at the Badminton Asia Team Championships, winning three out of her four matches and spearheading India to a historic gold at the tournament. Incidentally, Sindhu, who suffered her knee injury at the French Open last year, will be making her return in an individual event at the same tournament.
Sindhu looks rejuvenated and has been playing some phenomenal badminton over the last month. And after her incredible performance in the Badminton Asia Team Championships, fans will hope the Indian shuttler manages to build on this form on the road to the Paris Olympics.
The World No. 1 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will also be seen in action at the Super 750 event. The Indian pair have a good record at the tournament, winning the title back in 2022 and finishing second in 2019.
Last year, they lost in an incredibly close three-set battle to Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in the pre-quarterfinals, and the Indian pair will be looking to change things and stand on top of the podium at the tournament once again this time around.
Alongside Sindhu, Satwik, Chirag, and Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Tanisha Crasto, and Ashwini Ponnappa, Treesa Jolly, and Gayatri Gopichand will also be seen in action at the French Open 2024.
In the men’s singles categories, the Indian players have been handed a difficult draw. Priyanshu Rajawat will take on Victor Axelsen in the first round, while Kidambi Srikanth will face World No. 14 Chou Tien Chen in his opening encounter. Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy will take on Japan’s K. Tsuneyama and China’s Lu Guang Zu, respectively, in their first-round matches.
PV Sindhu will start her campaign against Canada’s Michelle Li in her Round of 32 match. Sindhu has a great record against the Canadian shuttler, leading 8-3 in the head-to-head battle.
In the doubles categories, India’s campaign will be spearheaded by Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The top-seeded pair from India, who are favorites to win the tournament, will take on Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in their first encounter.
India’s women’s doubles pairs of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand and Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, both looking to improve their rankings and secure a spot for the Paris Olympics, will face each other in their first-round match.
French Open 2024 Schedule:
First round: March 5–6, 2024
Second round: March 7, 2024
Quarter-finals: March 8, 2024
Semi-finals: March 9, 2024
Finals: March 10, 2024
Indian contingent playing at the French Open 2024:
Men's singles: Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Priyanshu Rajawat
Women’s singles: PV Sindhu
Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty
Women's doubles: Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa, Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand