Saina opts out, Sindhu eyes Syed Modi GP title

Lucknow: Saina Nehwal’s decision to give it a miss has taken away some sheen but Olympic silver medallist badminton star P.V. Sindhu will ensure that Syed Modi International is not short of star power when the Grand Prix Gold event gets under way with the qualifiers here on Tuesday.

Fresh from her comeback win at the Malaysia Masters on Sunday, Saina, a three-time winner here, has opted out.

“No, I am not playing as it was a tough three weeks for me after the PBL and Malaysia Open win and I am still not 100 per cent with my knee strength. I need some more time to be fully fit physically,” the second seeded Saina said.

Perhaps unaware of her pullout, the organisers had given her a seeding.

On the other hand, it has been a dream run for Sindhu on the international circuit ever since she clinched a silver medal at the Rio Olympics in August. The 21-year-old continued her rampaging run with a maiden Super Series title at the China Open before reaching the Hong Kong Open final.

The girl from Hyderabad will be the hot favourite to clinch the women’s title at Lucknow.

Seeded first, Sindhu faces Anura Prabhudesai in the opening round and is likely to clash with fourth seed Fitriani Fitriani in the semi-finals if she doesn’t suffer any hiccups.

In the men’s draw, K. Srikanth will be looking to make a successful comeback to the international circuit after four months on the sidelines due to an ankle injury.