After ending the 2022 season early due to injury, PV Sindhu everything is set for a return to court in Malaysia Open 2023which kicks off on Tuesday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.
However, Sindhu will face a tough test upon her return as she was drawn against the Rio 2016 Olympic champion Carolina Marin Spain in the first round of women’s singles.
The Malaysia Open, which was upgraded from BWF Super 750 to BWF Super 1000 status this year, will kick off the 2023 BWF World Tour season.
Carolina Marin defeated PV Sindhu in a thrilling women’s singles final in Rio 2016 and also leads the Indian badminton player 9-6 in head-to-head matches. The meeting at the Malaysia Open will be the sixteenth meeting between the two former world champions and Olympic medalists. Watch Malaysia Open badminton live in India!
Although BWF PV Sindhu is two places higher than Carolina Marin in the latest badminton world rankings, the Spaniard won his last fixture at the 2021 Swiss Open final in straight matches.
Bronze medalist from London 2012 Saina Nehwal, Malwika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap are the other three Indian badminton players set to compete in women’s singles. All three will want to start the year on a positive note.
In India’s men’s singles contingent at the Malaysia Open, India’s two top ranked players, HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen, will battle for a spot in the round of 16. Lakshya Sen, ranked 10th, leads head to head with 8th.
World number 13 Kidambi Srikanth, who has recently been struggling to get fit, will face world number 17 Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the first round.
In men’s doubles, World Championships bronze medalists Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will lead India’s challenge, while Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will challenge for the women’s doubles title.
The Malaysia Open 2023 will end on January 15. No Indian has ever won a medal at the Malaysia Open.
Where to watch Malaysia Open 2023 badminton live in India
Live stream of Malaysia Open 2023 will be available on the official YouTube channel of the World Badminton Federation BWF TV and the Jio Cinema app and website. The Malaysia Open badminton match will be broadcast on TV channels Sports 18 1 and Sports 18 1 HD in India.
Badminton Malaysia Open 2023: India lineup
Single men: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth
single women: PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap
Men’s Doubles: Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Krishna Garaga/Vishnuvardhan Panjala
Women’s doubles: Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam, Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand
