“Li Shi Feng is a good player like most of the Chinese shuttlers and it will be another good fight but Srikanth should get the better of him,”Vimal Kumar felt.
Then things will get way more difficult with either World No 4 Chou Tien Chen or rising Thai star Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who reached the final at the World Tour Finals, lying in wait in Round 3.
“That will be a huge challenge. Chou Tien is a class act and even if it is Kunlavut, things will not be easy as Srikanth has already lost badly to Kunlavut in the World Tour Finals. Unfortunately, the draw has not favoured Srikanth and it will be very tough to progress further.”
Former BWF World CHampionships bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth has a comparatively easier draw till the quarterfinals. Dutch shuttler Mark Caljouw is up first and Sai Praneeth will have revenge on his mind after he lost 14-21, 14-21 despite being the higher seed in the Tokyo Olympics group stage.
“This will be their second meeting and Sai Praneeth should be favourite considering the fact that Mark has not played too much since the Olympics. If Sai Praneeth is at the top of his game, he can at least make the quarterfinals,” Vimal Kumar commented.
A Mexican or Finnish player is going to stand in his way in Round 2 and with the withdrawal of World No 5 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Bryan Yang looks likely to be his Round 3 opponent. If he reaches the quarterfinals, things will get tougher as he is in the same quarter as Kidambi Srikanth as the likes of Chou Tien Chen or Kunlavut Vitidsarn might be lying in wait.
In further good news for Lakshya Sen, his first round opponent Max Weisskirchen of Germany has pulled out. Which means Lakshya Sen will now begin straight from Round 2.
