The last Super 750 level event that Srikanth played on the tour was in May 2024 at the Singapore Open. (File)
Former world No 1 Kidambi Srikanth and Kiran George were added to the men’s singles draw of India Open 2025 following the late withdrawal of top seed Shi Yuqi of China and eighth seed Anthony Ginting of Indonesia.
This also means that the men’s and women’s singles draws were updated, as according to the new BWF rules withdrawal of seeded players will result in a shuffling of the pack to ensure there are no lopsided quarters.
In the updated draw, 2022 champion Lakshya Sen will now take Ginting’s place and will face Lin Chun Yi of Chinese Taipei in the opening round. Srikanth will take on China’s Hong Yang Weng while Kiran George will open his campaign against Yushi Tanaka of Japan.
The last Super 750 level event that Srikanth played on the tour was in May 2024 at the Singapore Open. Form and fitness concerns have seen his rank drop to No 41 in the world, meaning he doesn’t get automatic entries to the top events anymore. But for the elegant shuttler, this late entry is a good opportunity to show where his level is at.
In the women’s draw, PV Sindhu was originally meant to take on Anupama Upadhyaya. But she will move to Busnan Ongbamrungphan’s place in the draw and will now face Shuo Yun Sung of Chinese Taipei in the first round. But there will still be an all-Indian clash in the opening round with Anupama now facing promising youngster Rakshita Sree Santosh Ramraj.
Sindhu’s redraw also means, she moves into the quarter that has Gregoria Mariska Tunjung waiting potentially in the last 8, and if she prevails, a semifinal clash against An Se Young could be a blockbuster in front of the home fans.
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