Odisha Open badminton: Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap return to action as top seeds

London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and her husband Parupalli Kashyap will be the top seeds in the women’s and men’s singles, respectively, at the inaugural Odisha Open 2022 badminton tournament that starts on Tuesday.

The competition, the third and final tournament of the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) India leg, will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.

Both Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap have been battling form and fitness issues in recent times. After suffering a calf injury, the former world No. 6 Parupalli Kashyap, a former Commonwealth Games champion, missed the India Open and the Syed Modi International. 

Saina Nehwal, meanwhile, is also making a comeback after skipping the Syed Modi International and suffering an early exit from the India Open, at the hands of upcoming shuttler Malvika Bansod.

Malvika Bansod, who lost to PV Sindhu in the final of the Syed Modi International last week, is unseeded in the Odisha Open. PV Sindhu, meanwhile, has opted to skip the BWF Super 100 tournament.

The mixed doubles pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto, who won their maiden title together at the Syed Modi International, will be in action. The duo is seeded fourth.

The women’s doubles will see top Indian pair Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy return to action as top seeds. Ponnappa had tested positive for COVID-19 during the India Open and withdrew.

Syed Modi International finalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, daughter of Indian badminton legend Pullella Gopichand, are seeded fifth. 

Top Indian shuttlers including Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen and men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are also skipping the Odisha Open.

The Odisha Open 2022 is the third BWF event of the badminton calendar and will conclude on January 30. It will be played behind closed doors.