PV Sindhu Drawn in Group M for Paris 2024 Olympics Badminton

Sindhu’s Group M Challenge: PV Sindhu, ranked 13th in the world, to compete against Kristin Kuuba and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq in the women’s singles event.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will be competing in Group M for the women’s singles event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The group stage draw, held at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, revealed Sindhu’s opponents as Kristin Kuuba from Estonia and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq from the Maldives.

Sindhu, who won a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics and a bronze at Tokyo 2020, currently ranks 13th in the world. Her group opponents, Kuuba and Razzaq, are ranked 75th and 111th, respectively, positioning Sindhu as the clear favorite in her group. Seeded 10th in the Olympic draw, Sindhu might face two-time World Championships medallist He Bingjiao of China in the round of 16, should they both win their respective groups. A victory could lead Sindhu to a potential quarter-final clash with reigning Olympic champion Chen Yufei.

In the men’s singles event, India’s 13th seed HS Prannoy has been placed in Group K with Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat and Germany’s Fabian Roth. Prannoy, ranked 13th in the world, is the highest-ranked player in his group, with Phat and Roth ranked 70th and 82nd, respectively.

Unseeded Lakshya Sen, ranked 19th, faces a tough challenge in Group L. He will compete against world No. 3 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, who holds a 4-1 head-to-head record against Sen, having won their last four encounters. Also in Group L are world No. 41 Kevin Cordon of Guatemala and world No. 52 Julien Carraggi of Belgium. Should both Prannoy and Sen win their groups, they will meet in the round of 16.

In the women’s doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa will compete in Group C against fourth-seeded Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan, as well as pairs from South Korea and Australia. The Indian pair faces a challenging group, with experienced and higher-ranked opponents.

The group stage draw for the men’s doubles event has been postponed, with the BWF yet to confirm a new date. India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are seeded third in the category. There are no Indian teams in the mixed doubles badminton competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS BADMINTON: DRAW FOR INDIAN PLAYERS

Women’s singles

• Group M: PV Sindhu (India), Kristin Kuuba (Estonia), Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq (Maldives)

Men’s singles

• Group K: HS Prannoy (India), Le Duc Phat (Vietnam), Fabian Roth (Germany)
• Group L: Lakshya Sen (India), Jonatan Christie (Indonesia), Kevin Cordon (Guatemala), Julien Carraggi (Belgium)

Women’s doubles

• Group C: Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa (India), Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida (Japan), Kim So Yeong-Kong Hee Yong (South Korea), Setyana Mapasa-Angela Wu (Australia)

The anticipation for the badminton events at the Paris 2024 Olympics is high, with Indian players set to face a mix of familiar and new challenges. Fans will be eagerly watching to see how Sindhu and her compatriots perform on this grand stage.