Dubai: PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, the two highest ranked Indian shuttlers at the USD $1000000 Dubai Super Series Finals, will hope to fetch the country it’s first ever Dubai championships medal when they take on the court this Wednesday. While world no. 3 Sindhu would begin her campaign against China’s Hi Bingjiao, Srikanth who is ranked fourth will battle world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium.
It has been a great year for both the Pullela Gopichand proteges, who have won numerous accolades for their country in the current year and will aim to cup off the season with another championship crown to their name. Sindhu who clinched the India Open and Korea Open Super Series, besides bagging the silver at the World Championships and also finishing runners-up at Hong Kong Open, has been paired with the second ranked Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, another Japanese Sayako Sato (world number 15) and Bingjiao (world number nine) in Group A.
Meanwhile, Srikanth who became the first Indian to win four Super Series titles in a single year, has been drawn with world number one Vicktor Axelsen of Denmark, Chou Tien Chen (world number 7) and Shi Yuqi (world number 8). The 24-year-old won the Indonesia Open, Australia Open, Denmark Open and French Open while also finishing as runners-up in the Singapore Open, before he was forced to miss the China Open and Hong Kong Open because of an muscle strain.
“It is an important event. I reached the semis in 2014 and in 2015, I lost in the league stages but it doesn’t matter. We, as players, have to forget what had happened and start afresh. I hope to do well this year,” said Srikanth.
The four players in each of the groups will face each other in the preliminary round, with only the top two from each groups qualifying for the semi-finals, who will then battle out for a place in the finals.