Tanvi Sharma, Kidambi Srikanth lead India at Korea Masters

Newly-crowned Taipei Open champion Tanvi Sharma and a fit-again Kidambi Srikanth will spearhead India’s challenge at the Korea Masters Super 300 badminton tournament, which begins in Asan, Korea on Tuesday. With India fielding a large contingent across singles and doubles in the USD 250,000 event, the week shapes up as another key test of the country’s recent momentum on the international circuit.

Tanvi arrives in Korea in the spotlight after a breakthrough week at the Taipei Open, while Srikanth returns after a recent fitness setback. India’s depth is also underlined by the number of entries in the main draws, setting up multiple intriguing first-round match-ups and the possibility of an all-Indian clash in men’s singles if results fall into place.

Tanvi’s Taipei Open breakthrough sets the tone

Tanvi, the 17-year-old from Punjab, produced what was described as a sensational performance to clinch her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Taipei Open on Sunday, defeating Vietnam’s sixth seed Thuy Linh Nguyen in the final. The triumph was historic, making her only the second Indian women’s singles player to win the Taipei Open, after Saina Nehwal (2008).

The win also placed her in an elite Indian list: she became only the fourth Indian women’s singles shuttler to secure a Super 300 or higher-level title, joining Saina, PV Sindhu and Devika Sihag. That achievement has raised expectations heading into the Korea Masters, where she will open her campaign against a qualifier.

India’s presence in the singles main draws is sizeable, with six players in the men’s singles and 10 in the women’s singles. In the women’s singles, seventh seed Malvika Bansod also begins against a qualifier, while Tanya Hemanth has a tough first-round assignment against top seed Hina Akechi of Japan. Aakarshi Kashyap will face South Korea’s Kim Min Ji, and Shriyanshi Valishetty takes on Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po.

Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj and Ashmita Chaliha are both slated to start against qualifiers. Eighth seed Anmol Kharb opens against Hong Kong’s Lo Sin Yan Happy, Mansi Singh will play South Korea’s Kim Joo Eun, and fifth seed Isharani Baruah is drawn against South Korea’s Lee So Yul.

Srikanth returns; men’s singles draw offers early tests

In the men’s singles, third seed Kidambi Srikanth—who won a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships—returns to action after a recent fitness issue. He had looked in good rhythm while reaching the final of the US Open, but was forced to withdraw from the Canada Open the following week. Now back to full fitness, the former world No. 1 will begin his Korea Masters campaign against Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko.

Kiran George also opens against a qualifier and could face eighth seed Wang Po-Wei of Chinese Taipei in the pre-quarterfinals. Saneeth Dayanand has a daunting opener against top seed Yudai Okimoto of Japan, while Rounak Chouhan takes on fourth seed Jeon Hyeok Jin of South Korea.

Tharun Mannepalli will face South Korea’s Yoo Tae Bin, and Mithun Manjunath meets China’s Zhu Xuan Chen. The draw could produce an all-Indian second-round clash, with Srikanth and Mithun set to meet if both win their opening matches.

Doubles line-ups include seeded hurdles and an all-Indian mixed clash

India’s doubles contingent also has notable first-round ties. In women’s doubles, Sonali Singh and Ritika Thaker will face a qualifier, while Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra are drawn against the second-seeded Japanese pair of Ririna Hiramoto and Kokona Ishikawa.

In men’s doubles, Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy will take on the fourth-seeded Thai pair of Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga. Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu have been drawn against Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Aaron Tai, while Achutaditya Rao Doddavarapu and Pochana Arjun Reddy begin against the second-seeded pairing of Choi Sol Gyu of South Korea and Goh V Shem of Malaysia.

The mixed doubles draw guarantees India a place in the second round thanks to an all-Indian opening-round match: sixth seeds Ishaan Bhatnagar and Shruti Mishra will face Sathwik Reddy Kanapuram and Radhika Sharma. Seventh seeds Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K will open against Malaysia’s Loo Bing Kun and Noraqilah Maisarah.

With Tanvi’s recent title run and Srikanth’s return to fitness, India’s campaign in Asan will be closely watched across multiple disciplines as the Korea Masters Super 300 gets underway.