Indian shuttlers look to end title drought

Indian shuttlers will look to end the 22-year title drought at the All England Championships, which begin in Birmingham on Tuesday. Chief coach Pullela Gopichand was the last Indian to win this title in 2001, 21-years after Prakash Padukone did it first. Lakshya Sen came close to winning last year and Saina Nehwal was the runner-up in 2015. Saina, however, pulled out of the event this year. Meanwhile, a tough draw coupled with indifferent form may make things difficult for the Indians in Birmingham. With Saina pulling out, PV Sindhu is the only Indian in women’s singles. The world No. 9 Indian begins against Zhang Yi Man of China. If she gets past Zhang, Sindhu is likely to face Chinese fifth seed He Bing Jiao in the second round and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the quarters. HS Prannoy, the top ranked Indian in men’s singles, faces Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in the first round and may clash against Anthony Ginting of Indonesia next.