PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen are set to return to competitive badminton action after a break of two months post their respective Olympics heartbreaks, with the Arctic Open Super 500 in Finland starting Tuesday.
Sindhu and Lakshya will lead an Indian contingent which also includes Kidambi Srikanth playing qualifiers as well as a bunch of young singles players who have been making the main draw of BWF World Tour events lately.
The duo had taken a long break after their campaign at the Paris Games ended in early August without a medal, and since then have sought to regroup and recalibrate.
Sindhu has put together a whole new coaching set up, appointing Anup Sridhar as her interim coach until the end of the season, and also added South Korean legend Lee Syun Il as a consultant coach in the last month, as she looks to make a push at the end of her season. Her previous coach, Indonesia's Agus Dwi Santoso, joined the team only earlier this year but his contract ended after the Olympics where she lost in the Round of 16. Sridhar was Lakshya's coach till late last year, before they parted ways amid his long slump.
Lakshya, meanwhile, has worked on his physicality in the time off since losing his bronze medal match in Paris against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia. He has undergone a series of tests at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg, Austria in a bid to understand his body and fitness better.
Their current form as well as the effects of the Olympics preparation and heartbreak are yet to be seen. The Arctic Open does not have a loaded field with several big names missing, but the Indians' level on comeback will be something to watch out for in the coming week.
Meanwhile, HS Prannoy and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty are the notable names missing from the draw. The former has opted for a protected ranking as he recovers from the aftereffects of chikungunya, which effectively means he has ended his season. The status of Satwik-Chirag's fitness, coaching after Mathias Boe's resignation, and return to the tour are not yet known.
Here's a closer look at the draws and chances of the Indian contingent:
Women's singles
How Sindhu proceeds after an Olympic campaign that was the end of an era is an important storyline for Indian badminton. The 29-year-old returned without an Olympic medal for the first time and this would have led to introspection and new goal-setting. The appointment of a new foreign coach is a good sign, suggesting that Sindhu is looking to revamp aspects of her game and perhaps focus more on the BWF Tour where she has not always won big titles.
Seeded sixth, Sindhu starts against familiar rival Michelle Li, whom she leads 10-3. A win would present an interesting challenge against 18-year-old Japanese rising star Tomako Miyazaki. The teen has won their only meeting, at the Swiss Open earlier this year, and represents the new generation of players Sindhu has to contend with. The other seed in her quarter is Paris bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, who has been struggling physically and was beaten by Malvika Bansod at the China Open last month.
Bansod, who has risen to world No 37 after her superb week in China, will also be one to watch out for. Playing for the first time since that quarterfinal run, she starts against world No. 24 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei in what will be their first meeting. A win will see her play against either top seed Wang Zhi Yi or former world champion Ratchanok Intanon.
Also in the main draw is Aakarshi Kashyap who plays Yvonne Li of Germany, against whom she trails 3-1. A win will mean a clash with second seed Han Yue.
In the qualifiers, 17-year-old Unnati Hooda will look to make the main draw by beating Heli Neiman of Israel.
Men's Singles
All eyes will be on Lakshya, who had made quite the impression at the Paris Olympics where he finished fourth. The unseeded Indian will start his campaign against Denmark's Rasmus Gemke against whom he has a 1-1 record. A win would mean a rematch of the Olympic quarterfinals against seventh seed Chou Tien Chen - where Lakshya had played one of his best match to beat the veteran. He's in the same quarter as top seed Anders Antonsen, who leads Lakshya 4-2.
If Lakshya plays like he did in Paris, he has the ability to beat any player and restart his season on a strong note. But the key will be his mentality in pressure situations, which is what led to his narrow medal miss in the first place. To test that aspect, he will have to put himself in finals and big matches often and that should be his aim in this final part of the 2024 season.
There will be more Indians in the draw with three players in the fray in for four spots in qualification. Srikanth, who returned from a four-month injury layoff, is set to face compatriot and top seed Kiran George and the winner will make the main draw. Sathish Karunakaran will take on France's Arnaud Merkle.
The doubles draw for India is bare this tournament. There is no Indian representation in men's doubles, which is a loaded field with almost all top pairs action.
Rituparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will compete in women's doubles, and Sathish will partner with Aadya Variyath in mixed doubles.