German Open 2022: Sindhu and Srikanth headline tricky draw - Preview, All you need to know, Where to watch

It's a jam-packed March to look forward to for badminton with the BWF camp shifting to Europe for the month with three back-to-back major tournaments, that starts with the German Open 2022 on 8th March.

Following the German Open, the action will shift to the all-important All England Open (March 16th-20th) and finally the Swiss Open (March 22nd-27th) at the end of the month.

PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen and the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty will be the ones to watch out for as India begins their campaign at the German Open 2022.

For Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and Satwik-Chirag the season-opener was particularly rewarding as they all walked away with titles during the India leg of the BWF tour and they will look to continue with that winning momentum.

The German Open 2022, which is a BWF Super 300 event, will be returning after a two-year hiatus owing to the pandemic and will be the fourth event of the 2022 badminton calendar. Indian badminton is currently enjoying a good spell with consistent performances at every tournament, with both veterans and youngsters showing good spirit and displaying depth in their game.

Sindhu with Tai Tzu trouble

For double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who bagged the Syed Modi Championships title in January, the German Open will be an opportunity to get back to her winning ways in the big leagues, in the middle of stiffer competition. In the first round clash, World No. 7 Sindhu is slated to face Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan, the reigning World No. 11 talent.

Provided Sindhu overcomes this brief challenge, she stands a chance to face off against top seed and arch-rival Tai Tzu-Ying in the quarter-final stages of the Super 300 tournament. It was because of Tai Tzu that Sindhu's quest for Olympic gold was left unfulfilled at the Tokyo Games when Tai defeated Sindhu in the semis.

Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal who has been struggling with injuries for quite some time will be looking to regain her form at the German Open when she opens her bid against Singapore's Yeo Jia Min. However, it won't be easy for Nehwal as the threat of Thai veteran Ratchanok Intanon is present in the second round and further, Akane Yamaguchi in the quarters.

Srikanth, Lakshya and Prannoy in tricky draws

For World Championship silver and bronze medallists Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen, respectively, the German Open draw will be slightly difficult to handle. Seeded eighth at the tournament, Srikanth hasn't had the dream start to 2022 as he contracted the omicron virus in the middle of the India Open in January. On the other hand, World No. 12 Lakshya Sen has been impressing constantly and is in a good shape, especially after a decent outing at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February.

While Srikanth will clash against Frenchman Brice Leverdez in the first round, a chance meeting with Tokyo gold medallist and World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen is there on the cards for the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, India Open winner Lakshya Sen will begin proceedings against Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen. With HS Prannoy also in the same group as Sen, another heated all-Indian meeting between the two is in the works for a second-round clash. Prannoy will open his bid against Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong.

Satwik-Chirag with an easy draw

After a phenomenal run at the India Open and winning the Super 500 crown in a thrilling fashion by defeating the Daddies from Indonesia - Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan, the World No. 8 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be raring to go at the German Open.

Seeded third at the tournament, Satwik-Chirag have a relatively easy opener in the form of Chinese pair Liu Yuche and Oui Xuanyi.

On the other hand, the pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will take on the Malaysian duo of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, who are seeded sixth at the Super 300.

Meanwhile, in women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy will face the sixth-seeded Japanese pair of Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama in the first round. Another pair to watch out for will be the duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand who will cross paths with Debora Jille and Cheryl Seinen.

In the mixed doubles, the draw is unkind once again with the pair of Sai Pratheek and Sikki Reddy slated to clash against the Thai top-seeded pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the opening round. The young pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto will take on the Indonesian duo of Dejan Ferdinansyah and Gloria Widjaja.

Here's all you need to know about the German Open 2022:

Tournament Name: Yonex Gainward German Open 2022

Category: BWF Super 300

Dates: 08-13th March 2022

Venue: Westenergie Sporthalle, Muelheim an der ruhr, Germany

Prize Money: USD 180,000

Indian squad at the German Open 2022

Women's Singles: PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal

Men's Singles: Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Parupalli Kashyap

Women's Doubles: Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand, Haritha Harinarayanan-Ashna Roy, Ashwini Ponnappa-N Sikki Reddy

Men's Doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, Krishna Prasad Garaga-Vishnu Goud Panjala, MR Arjun-Dhruv Kapila

Mixed Doubles: Sai Pratheek-N Sikki Reddy, Ishaan Bhatnagar-Tanisha Crasto

Where to watch the German Open 2022?

The German Open 2022 will be telecasted live on the Star Sports network [Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 2 HD] from 10th March 2022 once the quarter-final action begins.

Where to live stream the German Open 2022?

The German Open 2022 can be streamed live on the Disney+Hotstar app from the quarter-finals on 10th March 2022.

The BWF and The Bridge website can also be followed for all live updates.