For gamers like Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth, the prospects for qualifying for this year’s Olympic Video games are speedy shrinking as they have about five tournaments to e book their tickets for Tokyo.
The not too long ago-concluded Swiss Open was the initially tournament of the calendar year to be element of the Olympic qualification cycle and reigning badminton entire world winner P.V. Sindhu was the only Indian who managed to get to the ultimate.
London 2012 Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal was knocked out in the quite first spherical of the Swiss Open up. A country can enter a highest of two gamers for each party in singles if they are ranked in the leading 16 of the ‘Race to Tokyo’ rankings and Sindhu is now seventh, though Saina is at this time 19th. She may perhaps be capable to rise three places to 16th and consequently stand a probability at qualifying but then she also has to manage that place.
Previous men’s singles globe No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth seems to have remaining at the rear of his wretched run of kind that held him again for a great deal of the last two many years. Srikanth arrived at the semi-finals of the Swiss Open up just before shedding to environment No. 1 and eventual champion Viktor Axelsen.
Srikanth is currently 13th on the globe rankings whilst Sai Praneeth, who received bronze at the 2019 Globe Championships, re-entered the leading 16 immediately after his quarter-ultimate complete in Basel.
In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are sitting down easily in 10th spot. They are expected to be the only automatic qualifiers in the phase from India as the future maximum pair from the state, Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy, are languishing in 35th place.
“I feel Srikanth, Sindhu, Chirag and Satwik will qualify. Srikanth and Sindhu’s rankings will boost due to the fact of their performances in Swiss Open. From my point of perspective people that do very well in tournaments so shut to qualification will reward massively,” reported four-time nationwide men’s doubles champion Uday Pawar.
The Badminton Earth Federation (BWF) and its member associations are scrambling to keep tournaments with the myriad of troubles designed by quarantine durations and normal operating procedures amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It implies that though for all signifies and uses the Olympic qualification calendar has restarted, there is tiny to no certainty on no matter if tournaments will be held as for each agenda or not. A circumstance in place staying the German Open up Super 300 match, which was element of the qualification calendar, but was cancelled just less than a month right before it was scheduled to be held.
The qualification calendar alone was prolonged from April 25 to June 15. All this, accompanied by likely clashes in dates and the uncertainty all around the Asian Championships with about 5 tournaments still left to perform in the qualification calendar.
When Pawar feels that Shetty and Rankireddy need to try and maintain themselves in just the top 8 so they get a comparatively quick draw at the Olympics, it is not however a misplaced trigger for Saina.
“It is not going to be possible for Saina to occur into the major 10 but she can nonetheless crack into the major 10. Individuals who have previously cemented on their own for qualification, might not participate in quite a few of the upcoming tournaments due to the fact they will just search to get ready for the Olympics. They will be big for those people who are chasing qualification or want to improve their rankings. For example, my suggestions to Chirag and Satwik was to qualify for the Olympics inside of the prime 8 so that you get a greater attract,” mentioned Pawar.
