Treesa-Gayatri, Srikanth may miss the bus
With the April 28 deadline for the Olympic qualifying looming, it is now clear that three singles players and two doubles teams from India will make the cut. India’s hopes hinge on HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
A country can field a maximum of two players or teams in each category at the Olympics. In singles, players need to be in the top-16 of Olympic qualification rankings to qualify. Prannoy is currently No. 9 and Lakshya is No. 12. The Madrid Open beginning on Tuesday is the only tournament left before the Games and since it is a super-300 event, a major change in rankings is unlikely.
At No. 11, Sindhu will most likely be the sole Indian competitor in women’s singles as the next best, Aakarshi Kashyap, is ranked No. 40.
In doubles, one team will qualify if it is in top-16 and two teams can make the cut if both are in top-8.
The world No. 1 pair of Satwik-Chirag are No. 2 in the qualifying list for men’s doubles.
In women’s doubles, Ashwini-Tanisha are No. 12 in the Olympic list, while Treesa-Gayatri are No. 26 in world rankings and over the cut list in Olympic rankings.
In all probability, the women’s duo of Treesa-Gayatri and Kidambi Srikanth are out of the Olympic race.
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Treesa-Gayatri, regarded as one of the best emerging pairs in the world, have missed some tournaments last year due to injuries. During this period, their practice partners Ashwini-Tanisha did well and moved ahead in the world rankings. At international level, the two pairs played three matches against each other. Treesa-Gayatri won two and lost one.
Treesa-Gayatri duo & Srikanth miss out
With the Madrid Open offering only 7000 points for the winners, Treesa-Gayatri have literally no chance to make the grade.
Ashwini-Tanisha have 51,010 points while Treesa-Gayatri have 44,714. Even if Treesa-Gayatri win the Madrid Open, the 3600 points they bag there will not be enough to overtake Ashwini-Tanisha, who will stay on 51,010 even if they lose in the first round.
Srikanth reached the semifinals of Swiss Open. But Lakshya’s good show over the last three weeks clinched him the Olympic berth. With Lakshya making the semifinals of French Open (Super-750) and All England (Super-1000), Srikanth’s chances suffered.
2024-03-26 05:40:00
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