WBC 2017: Srikanth & Sindhu a definite medal prospect but keep an eye on Saina & Praneeth

SINGLES SHUTTLERS in India have always made the country and themselves proud with their performances and number of titles won. Once again the men's and women's singles shuttlers will be in the forefront and all eyes will be on them at the World Badminton Championships beginning on 21st August, Monday.

There are four shuttlers in each of the category and now let's look at each shuttler's chances at the Championships.

Men's singles

Eighth seeded Kidambi Srikanth will be leading this category and all fans as well as the whole of badminton fraternity will have their eyes on the Indian. Srikanth has had a great year so far, reaching the finals in Singapore to winning two titles back-to-back in Indonesia and Australia. Since then he has been preparing for the big event. With his current form he has in the list of contenders to challenge for a medal in Glasgow.

But once again, it won't be an easy task for him as playing at these big events and expectations adds a lot of pressure on the shuttler. Srikanth must be calm throughout and play his best.

His first two rounds should be easy as he will be starting his campaign against Sergey Sirant. From round three onwards it starts to get tricky as he may face 14th seed Anders Antonsen or Tommy Sugiarto. Once he moves into the quarter-finals his challenge begins as top seed Son Wan Ho would be likely opponent. Though the Indian has defeated the Korean twice in the past, things may or may not favour the Indian here. But if he can pass this hurdle, a medal is confirmed.

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Next up in this category is 15th seed Sai Praneeth, he too has had a decent year so far. Winning his first Superseries in Singapore beating Srikanth being the highlight. He begins his campaign against Wei Nan and likely opponent in round two may be Anthony Ginting who can be a tricky opponent as the Indonesian holds a decent record against Indian opponents.

From round three onwards he would be setting up a clash against seeded shuttlers, possibility being in 6th seed Chen Tien, 9th seed Ng Ka Long Angus, 3rd seed Viktor Axelsen or if things go well for the Indian shuttlers, an all Indian semis too is on the card between Praneeth and 13th seed Ajay Jayaram.

Ajay on the other hand has had ups and downs. Before Srikanth could create waves with his performance, Ajay's form in Malaysia earned him the highest ranked Indian men's singles shuttler and the truth being it was from him that the dominance of men's singles began in the international circuit this season.

Ajay too holds easy first two rounds, his opponent in round one being Luka Wraber. But in round three comes the test, as he would face 5th seed Chen Long.

READ about the rise in men's singles shuttlers in India.

Coming to the youngest member from the lot, Sameer Verma who was battling injury for most his season post January. Therefore apart from him causing some upsets, he doesn't hold a chance yet to shine at an event like this. He faces Pablo Abian in round one and post this begins his challenge against higher ranked and seeded shuttlers. With 16th seed Rajiv Ouseph then 7th seed Lin Dan.

So the youngster holds limited or no chance at all to overcome these hurdles.

Considering all of the above, Srikanth is a definite bet to get a medal home but also keep an eye on Praneeth's performance.

Women's singles

Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu being the usual candidates on whom the expectations would ride once again. In 2013 and 2014 Sindhu got home Bronze medals which sometimes forgotten as her recent Silver medal at the Rio Olympics overtakes all other accomplishments. Post Olympics, the expectations has only hit the roof from the 22-year-old. Therefore at this year's Championships a medal better than Bronze will be expected.

The 4th seed Indian is the highest seeded among Indian shuttlers. She has received a first round bye and will play Hyo Min or Hadia Hosny in round two. Post round two, she may face 13th seed Cheung Ngan Yi and then a possibility of a clash against 5th seed Sun Yu. And if all goes well for Sindhu and she manages to cruise to the semis, top seed Akane Yamaguchi awaits the Indian.

Post Olympics, Sindhu's responsibility has only increased.

Saina, on the other hand, seeded 12th is yet trying to reach her best fitness level and performance. She too has received a bye in first round. In 2015 Saina won Silver losing to Carolina Marin in the finals. But a lot has changed since then. From round three onwards her challenge begins as 3rd seed Sung Ji Hyun will be her opponent. Things can get tricky post this.

The other two shuttlers in this category are Tanvi Lad and Rituparna Das who really have a difficult job at hand. But since they would be playing tension and pressure free, they can cause upsets but it is a daunting task. Tanvi begins her campaign against Chloe Birch while Rituparna will play Airi  Mikkela but post these rounds higher ranked and seeded shuttlers are their likely opponents.

Saina's coach Vimal Kumar in an interview stated that, no or less expectations from Saina is a good thing for the shuttler as she will be able to focus on her game more. Let's hope for his words to be true and this time we see two women's singles shuttlers from India receiving medals at WBC. But going by the form and performances, chances lie more on Sindhu from women's singles for India.

On the first day, August 21st following singles shuttlers will be seen in action: Srikanth, Rituparna, Tanvi and Sameer.

Also read our preview for doubles contingent here.

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