Badminton
Indonesia Masters 2022: Sindhu and Lakshya Sen to ace challenge — Preview, Schedule, Indians in action, When to Watch, Live Streaming
All you need to know about Indonesia Masters 2022 as Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen get ready to headline challenge.
Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy, the heroes of India's historic Thomas Cup triumph, have been drawn to clash in the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF Super 500 Indonesia Masters badminton tournament where Saina Nehwal may run into nemesis Carolina Marin in the second round of the Super Series 500 event, starting Tuesday.
The Indian shuttlers will look to hit top gear in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games, starting July 28. The men's shuttlers touched a new high with their Thomas Cup exploits where India defeated 14-time champions Indonesia to win their first-ever title.
World No. 9 Lakshya Sen, seeded seventh, will take on Denmark's Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus in a tricky opening round clash. The top-ranked Indian has a 0-2 head-to-head record against Kristian. Sen last faced him in the Denmark Open in 2020 when he lost his pre-quarterfinal to the home favourite. The 20-year-old would be keen to better his record against Kristian.
In the absence of Thomas Cup hero Kidambi Srikanth, the main draw has four Indians with the other two being Parupalli Kashyap and Sameer Verma. Prannoy will also run into a Danish man in Rasmus Gemke, the same opponent the Indian defeated in the must-win third singles in the Thomas Cup semifinals.
READ | Unsung heroes of Thomas Cup: Keeping the Indian badminton team 'fit' for gold
Drawn in the top half, 37th seed Kashyap will face Tzu Wei Wang and if he overcomes the first round hurdle then he is expected to lock horns with world No. 1 and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.
Saina Nehwal and Sindhu will lead the Indian challenge in the women's singles main draw. After making a semifinal exit in the Thailand Open, double Olympic medallist Sindhu will look to go all the way. She will begin with a clash against Line Christophersen of Denmark. Saina, who missed the Uber Cup after missing the trials, will open her campaign against Denmark's Line Hoejmark Kjaersfeldt, who is ranked 33rd.
In the men's doubles, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will take on local lads Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan.
There are two Indian pairs in the women's doubles section. Seeded 22nd, Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy find themselves in the top half and open their campaign against Jacqueline Lima and Samia Lima of Brazil. The Indian duo faces a potentially tough second-round clash against the top-seeded Chinese duo of Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan.
Meanwhile, Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker are the second Indian pair in the main draw, up against second seed Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan of South Korea, in its tournament-opener.
Indians in action
Men's Singles - Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Parupalli Kashyap, Sameer Verma
Women's Singles - PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal
Men's Doubles - Manu Attri-Sumeeth Reddy
Women's Doubles - Ashwini Ponnappa-Sikki Reddy, Simran Singhi-Ritika Thaker
Mixed Doubles - Ishaan Bhatnagar-Tanisha Crasto
Schedule
Qualification: June 7, 2022
First Round: June 8, 2022 - 7:30 AM IST to 7 PM IST
Second Round: June 9, 2022 - 7:30 AM IST to 7 PM IST
Quarterfinals: June 10, 2022 - 10:30 AM IST to 7:30 PM IST
Semifinals: June 11, 2022
Finals: June 12, 2022
Where to Watch Indonesia Masters 2022?
You can catch all the LIVE action on the newly launched Sports 18.
LIVE Streaming
With Sports 18 being the official broadcasters, all the matches will also be LIVE streamed on OTT platform Voot.