Thailand Masters: Saina, Srikanth hope to keep Olympic dream alive

Bangkok : Ace Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth aim to put up a good show when they begin their campaign at the BWF Thailand Masters Super 300 tournament here on Wednesday.

Saina and Srikanth are placed at the 22nd and 23rd spots in BWF's rankings as April 26 has been set as the deadline date for Tokyo Olympics qualification.

As per BWF Olympics qualification regulations, just a couple of shuttlers each from the singles category could qualify if their ranking lies within the top-16.

As of now, world champion P.V. Sindhu and B. Sai Praneeth (11th) and men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (8th) have almost sealed a place for the Tokyo 2020.

Saina will begin her campaign here against Denmark's Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt. Srikanth, on the other hand, will take on Shesar Hiren Rhustavito in the opening round.

Among other Indians, Sameer Verma will take on Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia while H.S. Prannoy will face Malaysia's Liew Daren in the first round.