Saina, Sameer to fight at Korea Open; Srikanth withdraws


Team Udayavani, Sep 24, 2018, 2:22 PM IST

Seoul: Saina Nehwal and Sameer Verma will look to put their best foot forward when they lead Indian challenge at the 43343603.40₹ Korea Open World Tour Super 500 tournament beginning here Tuesday.

Saina, who had skipped the Japan Open earlier this month after winning a bronze at 18th Asian Games, will look to get over the disappointment of her first-round exit at China last week when she takes on Korean Kim Hyo Min.

Fifth seeded Saina, ranked 10th in the world, has done well in the major events this year, grabbing a second gold at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the Jakarta Asian Games. But the Indian has been inconsistent in the BWF events.

Saina, who had reached the finals at the 25283768.65₹ Indonesia Masters in January, was ousted by Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun last week at China and will have a tough task at hand as she is likely to face third seed Japanese Nozomi Okuhara in the quarterfinals. In men’s singles, Sameer Verma will carry the Indian flag after Kidambi Srikanth pulled out after playing back-to-back tournaments in Japan and China in the last two weeks.

Sameer has been troubled by injuries but he has done well when he has been fit, winning titles at Swiss Open in February and Hyderabad Open early this month. The 23-year-old Dhar, who had finished runners-up at 2016 Hong Kong Open, will play Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in his opening match.

He had beaten the Danish shuttler at India Open in January this year. If the Indian crosses the opening round, he is expected to meet reigning world champion Kento Momota of Japan. Young women’s shuttler Vaishnavi Reddy Jakka will also compete in the tournament, taking on formidable sixth seed Beiwen Zhang of USA in the opening round.

Among others, Ajay Jayaram will take on China’s Zhao Junpeng in the qualifiers. Young Vaidehi Choudhari and Mugdha Agrey will also compete at the women’s singles qualifying round. 

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Derogatory word against minister: AICC leader Surjewala calls for strict action against BJP MLC

Case registered against unknown persons who attempted to attack BJP MLC Ravi

Delhi polls: BJP issues ‘chargesheet’ against Kejriwal; vows to remove AAP from power

PVR INOX rejigs media biz, appoints Chief Sales Officer Shalu Sabharwal as head

Mastermind of kidnapping gang targeting celebrities arrested after encounter in UP’s Bijnor

Neelamangala accident: Tried avoiding hitting car in front, lost control, claims truck driver

Gurdaspur grenade attack: 3 Khalistani terrorists gunned down in encounter in UP

Related Articles More

The ability to take 20 wickets is not that good in Indian team: Cheteshwar Pujara

Rewind 2024: A year of turbulence – Mirabai and Indian weightlifting’s unfulfilled dreams

Rewind 2024: Coaching crisis, heartbreaks and Olympic setbacks mark a disastrous year for Indian boxing

Ready with plan to tackle Bumrah, says Sam Konstas

Rohit gets hit in nets, practice pitches on slower side

MUST WATCH

Tulunadu Daivaradane

Feeding Birds with Creative Paddy Art!

Areca Nut

HOTEL SRI DURGA BHAVANA

Harish Poonja


Latest Additions

Nelamangala accident: Tried avoiding hitting car in front, lost control, claims truck driver

Derogatory word against minister: AICC leader Surjewala calls for strict action against BJP MLC

Maha Kumbh 2025: 50,000 police personnel to ensure safety of pilgrims

Epigamia founder Rohan Mirchandani dies of cardiac arrest at age 42

Turned dreams of people into source of income: Priyanka slams govt over GST on exam forms

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.