Badminton
Denmark Open 2023: Prannoy withdraws; Satwik-Chirag aims for 2nd successive title
Indian men's doubles duo Satwik and Chirag, fresh from winning the historic Asian Games gold medal in China, will look to continue their fine form at the Denmark Open Super 750. Prannoy ruled himself out for two to three weeks due to a back injury.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Source: BWF)
The prestigious Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament is starting on October 17 at Arena Fyn in Odense.
The tournament marks the beginning of the European sojourn of the BWF World Tour. A total prize money worth $850,000 will be up for grabs for the players.
The finals of the Denmark Open will take place on Sunday, October 22. The tournament will feature 64 singles players and 96 doubles teams from across the world, including one doubles parings and four singles players from India.
Fresh from winning the Asian Games 2023 men's doubles title - India's first gold in badminton at the quadrennial showpiece, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who gave the Arctic Open Super 500 a miss, will begin their campaign against Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the first round. This will be the first tournament for Satwik and Chirag after they became world number one.
Given their fine form, they are expected to win the title and script another history for Indian badminton. No Indian doubles pair won the Denmark Open to date. The duo failed to reach the semifinals last time after they went down to Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the quarterfinals. At the Asian Games, Satwik and Chirag handed a straight-game defeat to the Malaysians in the semifinals.
However, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila - the second Indian men's doubles pair - pulled out of the event.
Prannoy pulls out
World no. 8 HS Pronnoy, the Asian Games bronze medallist, however, withdrew from the Denmark Open and French Open, the two top tournaments in Europe. Prannoy played the entire Asian Games with a heavily strapped back. He has also undergone an MRI after returning to India. "I will need rest and then start with rehab," Prannoy told news agency PTI. The shuttler ruled himself out for at least two to three weeks.
World no. 30 Priyanshu Rajawat, who was supposed to face Malaysian Lee Zii Jia, the world no. 14, has also decided to withdraw.
In their absence, Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen, who guided India to a silver-medal-winning performance at the Asian Games, will lead the Indian challenge in men's singles. Lakshya will look to make optimum use of his fine form as he takes on Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand in the R32.
Former world no. 1 Kidami Shrikanth, meanwhile, faces a tricky test in the first round as he runs into world no. 21 Weng Hong Yang of China. Hong Yang is the Australian Open champion. He was also part of China's gold medal-winning men's team at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
In women’s singles, star shuttler PV Sindhu, the world no. 13, is unlikely to face any hardships in the first round with Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour as her opponent. Sindhu lost in the semifinal at the Arctic Open. Aakarshi Kashyap, meanwhile, has been promoted to the main draw after world no. 2 Akane Yamaguchi pulled out. Aakarshi will face Yvonne Li of Germany in the first round.
India, however, will have no representation in women's and mixed doubles, with Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, world ranking 16, withdrawing from the Denmark Open.
No Indian player won the Denmark Open since 2017.
The first Indian player to win the Denmark Open was Prakash Padukone in 1980. Saina Nehwal was the first Indian women's singles player to win the championship in 2012, while Srikanth won the men's singles title in 2017.
Here is all you need to know about Denmark Open 2023:
Denmark Open 2023 Schedule:
First Round: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 & Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Second Round: Thursday, October 19, 2023
Quarterfinals: Friday, October 20, 2023
Semifinals: Saturday, October 21, 2023
Finals: Sunday, October 22, 2023
When and where to watch the Denmark Open live on television and streaming?
Fans can follow the action on the BWF TV YouTube Channel on Day 1 (October 17). From October 18 to October 22, beginning at 12:30 PM Indian Standard Time, Sports 18 will broadcast the matches live. JioCinema will be the site for live streaming.
Indian shuttlers at BWF Denmark Open 2023
Men’s Singles : Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth
Women’s Singles: PV Sindhu, Aakarshi Kashyap
Men’s Doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty
Denmark Open 2023 Indian Shuttler Singles Draw
Men's Singles R32
Kidambi Srikanth vs Weng Hong Yang (China)
Lakshya Sen vs Kantaphon Wangcharoen (Thailand)
Women's Singles R32
PV Sindhu vs Kirsty Gilmour (Scotland)
Aakarshi Kashyap vs Yvonne Li (Germany)
Doubles Draw
Men's Doubles R32
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty vs Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi
Indian winners in the Denmark Open
Prakash Padukone (1980)
Saina Nehwal (2012)
Kidambi Srikanth (2017)
Defending champions of the Denmark Open
Men’s Singles – Shi Yu Qi (China)
Women’s Singles – He Bing Jiao (China)
Men’s Doubles – Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Ardianto (Indonesia)
Women’s Doubles – Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan (China)
Mixed Doubles – Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong (China)
Indian seeded players in Denmark Open 2023
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty - Men’s Doubles
