Auckland: Newly-crowned US Open champion HS Prannoy will look to continue his good run when he begins his campaign in the men’s singles competition at the $1,20,000 New Zealand Grand Prix Gold starting here Tuesday. Battling with injuries throughout his career, the US Open title was Prannoy’s second after a long gap of 16 months. He had won the Swiss Open last year.
“It felt great to win the US Open title. It will certainly give me lots of confidence for the tournament here,” Prannoy said in a release issued by the organisers.
Prannoy, who climbed to the 17th spot in world rankings after the win, will face Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito in the opening round here.
There is every chance of an encore in the event as US Open runner-up Parupalli Kashyap is also playing in the event. “I cannot predict, how I will fare,” said Kashyap who returned to the US tournament after a long injury lay-off. “I am taking it one tournament at a time to build up my match confidence,” he said in the same release. Kashyap who improved to 47th in world rankings from 64th due to his US Open showing, will face another Indonesian Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka.
Among other Indian players in the men’s singles, Ajay Jayaram will open his campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Chia Hung Lu and former national champion Sourabh Verma will take on Australia’s Nathan Tang at the North Shore Events Centre.
In the women’s singles, the lone Indian representative Tanvi Lad, who will play at the World Championships, will take on Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei, seeded third.
The young Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face a qualifier in the opening round, while third seeds Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy, who clinched the Lagos International Challenge title recently, will be up against Chinese He Jiting and Tan Qiang.
