With the Indonesia Masters Super 500 beginning on Tuesday, the stage is set for a likely second-round showdown between Olympic stars Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. Although they both started the season strongly at the Malaysia Masters, their runs ended prematurely in the quarterfinals with straight-set losses. If they want to deliver an inspiring performance this week, both players will need to step up their game.
Sindhu is aiming to find her flow again after being shut down 16-21, 16-21 by her nemesis Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. Simultaneously, Saina is working to move past a demoralizing 8-21, 7-21 loss to the legendary Carolina Marin. In the opening round, 5th seed Sindhu faces Aya Ohori of Japan, a player she defeated recently. Saina, on the other hand, will begin her campaign against Japan's Sayaka Takahashi.
Assuming both Indian stars clear their first-round hurdles, they will face each other for the fifth time on the international circuit. While PV Sindhu is one of the most feared players in the world, she has historically struggled against Nehwal, who maintains a 3-1 lead in their head-to-head meetings.
Interestingly, all four of their international matchups have been decided in straight sets. While Sindhu has managed to beat Nehwal in the PBL, she has oddly struggled to maintain that form globally, with her most recent international defeat coming in the 2018 Commonwealth Games final.
Kidambi Srikanth, hoping to bounce back from an early exit at the Malaysia Masters, will start his tournament against Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito. Meanwhile, Praneeth, who also struggled in Malaysia despite his World Championship bronze, is tasked with facing the 8th seed from China, Shi Yu Qi.
Parupalli Kashyap and H S Prannoy are both looking for redemption after being knocked out by the world number one, Kento Momota, last week. They will face tough local opposition in Jonatan Christie and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, respectively. Additionally, Sameer Verma enters the tournament after a grueling second-round battle against Lee Zii Jia in Malaysia.
In the doubles category, the women's duo of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa will go up against Japan's Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama. In mixed doubles, the pair of Satwik and Ashwini will compete against Ireland's Sam Magee and Chloe Magee.