2024 Paris Olympics: PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy get relatively easy draws, Lakshya Sen drawn with World No. 3 Jonathan Christie

Indian badminton players PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy have been handed relatively easy draws at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. However, Lakshya Sen has been grouped in a tough group, with third seed Jonathan Christie.

Sindhu, who won the silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, is seeded 10th and will play against Estonia’s Kristin Kuuba (ranked 75), and Fathimath Nabaaha of Maldives (ranked 111) in her Group M.

This will be the first time Sindhu will meet Kuuba on the Tour. The Indian badminton ace has however met Nabaaha once at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Sindhu triumphed 21-4, 21-11.

An Se Young is the top seed at the Paris Olympics and has been placed in Group A while Chen Yu Fei, Tai Tzu Ying, Carolina Marin and Akane Yamaguchi complete the top five seedings. Sindhu is seeded 10th.

The 39 women’s singles players are divided into 13 groups of three players each. The winners of each group will progress to the round-of-16, with the top three seeds getting a bye into the quarterfinals.

As per the draw, Sindhu might run into sixth seed He Bing Jiao of China in the round-of-16.

In the men’s singles, 41 players have been drawn into 13 groups, with two groups of four players each and 11 groups of three players each. The players finishing at the top of each group will progress to the next round.

Prannoy, seeded 13th at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is in Group K and will play Le Duc Phat of Vietnam (ranked 70) and Germany’s Fabian Roth (ranked 82).

Lakshya Sen has been handed a tough draw and will play against Christie, seeded third, along with Kevin Gordon of Guatemala and Julien Caraggi of Belgium. Lakshya is drawn in one of the two four-member groups.

Lakshya, ranked 19th in the world, has only beaten Christie once in their five meetings. His lone win came in 2020 and in 2024 the Indian lost to Christie twice – at the All England Badminton Championships and the Thomas Cup.

Lakshya might run into Prannoy in the next round if they qualify,

Women’s doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa have been drawn in Group C alongside fourth seed Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida from Japan along with Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong and Australia’s Setyana Mepasa and Angela Yu.

The men’s doubles draw will be held at a later date. Asian Games gold medalists Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty are seeded third in men’s doubles.