New Delhi: Saina Nehwal will look to clinch the Malaysia Masters title as she begins the year’s international campaign in the season-opening Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament, which begins at Sarawak, Malaysia, on Monday.
Saina had good match practice at the just-concluded Premier Badminton League where she won three matches while losing to Olympic champion Carolina Marin and silver medallist P.V. Sindhu.
Still in the process of reaching her best form, top seed Saina will look to grab the opportunity, especially since few top shuttlers are participating at the $120,000 tournament.
Saina endured a difficult season last year as she recovered from a foot injury to win the Australian Open but suffered a major knee injury around the Rio Olympics to bow out of the the mega-event in the second round.
After regaining fitness, she made it to the quarter-finals at the Macau Open and the Hong Kong Open before starting the new season with the Premier Badminton League, where she guided Awadhe Warriors to the semi-finals.
In the men’s singles, Parupalli Kashyap will be missing as he has been ruled out for three months after hurting his shoulder during the PBL but sixth seed Ajay Jayaram, who has been in good form in the domestic league, will take on a qualifier on the opening day of the main draw.
