The Japan Open is set to begin from Tuesday and in-form PV Sindhu will look to dominate another tournament after she clinched the gold medal by avenging the World Championship final defeat to Nozomi Okuhara in the Seoul final.
The fourth seed will open her campaign against Japan’s Minatsu Mitani, against whom she had substantial trouble in Seoul last week and needs to be at her best to get past the world number nineteen. The duo has met twice before and the twenty-two-year-old Sindhu won the last encounter between them at Macau Open in 2015, its 1-1 between them.
If Sindhu, get past her first round opponent then she will once again face her arch-rival Nozomi Okuhara, the two have split two gold and two silver medals equally between them.
While Saina Nehwal makes her return after recovering from a slight thigh strain and will face Thai teenager Pornpawee Chochuwong, whom the former world no one has beaten twice earlier this year, both times in straight games.
India has a strong men contingent but all singles players have a tough draw, Kidambi Srikanth will take on world number ten in the opening match. HS Prannoy will square off against Denmark's Anders Antonsen. Former National champion Sourabh Verma drew Lin Dan in the first round. Sourabh's younger brother Sameer and B Sai Praneeth will meet qualifiers in the first round.
Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap will have to qualify for the main draw. He will face Denmark's Emil Holst on Tuesday.