Arctic Open 2024: Sindhu, Sen eye comeback after Olympic setback

Star shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will lead the Indian contingent at the Arctic Open Super 500 tournament commencing here on Tuesday, as they eagerly look to reclaim their momentum on the international stage following a medal-less outing at the Paris Olympics.

This tournament marks the first outing for Sindhu and Sen since the Olympic Games, and they are keen to reset their goals. The duo has reassessed their performances and implemented changes to regain their rhythm. Sindhu has roped in Anup Sridhar and Korean legend Lee Syun Il as her new coaches, moving on from her previous coach Indonesia’s Agus Dwi Santoso.

Sen, who narrowly missed a medal in Paris, spent time at the Red Bull Arena in Austria for physical assessment.

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In the opening round, Sindhu, who exited in the round of 16 in Paris, will face familiar rival Canada’s Michelle Li, while Sen, who lost in the bronze medal play-off, will compete against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke.

Double Olympic medallist Sindhu is favoured to overcome Li and could face 18-year-old Japanese sensation Tomako Miyazaki, the 2022 junior world champion, in the next round, an opponent against whom she lost at the Swiss Open earlier this year.

For Sen, it’s a chance for revenge against Gemke, having lost to him at the India Open in 2023. If he overcomes Gemke, he might face seventh-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.

Kidambi Srikanth, returning to action at the Macau Open after a four-month injury layoff, will compete in the qualifiers alongside younger compatriots Kiran George and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran.

Former world number one Srikanth is set to face George, while Sathish will battle against France’s Arnaud Merkle.

In women’s singles, besides Sindhu, in-form Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap are also in contention.

Malvika, who reached the quaterfinals at the China Open Super 1000, will open against World No. 24 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei, while Aakarshi will be up against Yvonne Li of Germany in the first round.

Another promising player, Unnati Hooda, who won the 2022 Odisha Masters, will take on Heli Neiman of Israel in the qualifiers.

While there is no Indian representation in men’s doubles, Rituparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will compete in women’s doubles, and Sathish will partner with Aadya Variyath in mixed doubles.