Former champions Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu of India have been given the top billing in the men’s and women’s sections, respectively, as the Yonex-Sunrise India Open badminton returns after two years.
The tournament will start from Tuesday. B Sai Praneeth on Sunday pulled out of the meet after testing positive.
Reigning World Championship silver medallist Srikanth has received the top billing in the men’s singles section with world champion Loh Kean Yew and bronze medallist Lakshya Sen also vying for their first India Open crown.
Double Olympic medallist Sindhu will lead the charge in the women’s singles section which also includes two-time champion Saina Nehwal, Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan and Singapore’s up and coming Jia Min Yeo.
Sindhu, winner of the 2017 edition, said playing without fans would be a bit of a dampener but she was as motivated as anyone to clinch her second tournament title.
“I have always looked forward to playing in New Delhi as India Open has always had full house crowd with great atmosphere as winning a tournament at home is always special for any player.”
Men’s singles top seed and former champion Srikanth said the tournament provided him the perfect opportunity to build on his World Championships success.