Sindhu, Lakshya and men's doubles pair chase success

It has been 24 years since an Indian won the All England Open title but every season players head to the premier badminton tournament with renewed hope that they will end the wait.

- HT Correspondent

[e-mail] NEW DELHI:

Former world No. 1 Saina Nehwal and Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen came closest when they reached the final in 2015 and 2022 respectively, but their dream was shattered by superior opponents.

Though it is neither as celebrated as the Olympics nor as prestigious as the World Championships, the BWF Grade 1 tournament still holds special significance with the best in the badminton world keen to add the revered trophy in their cabinet.

That is why PV Sindhu, Sen and the doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty have travelled to Birmingham yet again.

Like in most competitions these days, India's finest ever doubles pair, Rankireddy and Shetty, have the best opportunity to end the title wait at the $1.45 million tournament. Out of the three individual events they have played so far this year, they reached the semi-finals of two — Malaysia Open and India Open — and lost in the last 16 of the Indonesia Masters last month.