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Swiss Open 2021 Kicks-Off in Basel Today

By: Sandhya
Date: 01 Mar, 2021
Image Courtesy: GoBadminton

With the Swiss Open 2021 kicking off in Basel from today, there’s both a buzz as well as a sense of anxiety about the badminton world. The Olympic qualifications are getting ever so tighter, whilst some of the top players are making a comeback to the big stage after a long, lengthy corona virus layoff. No one’s sure, if and when, the next tournament will happen and while it lasts everyone wants to make sure they give their best shot.

 

And thus, as the opening day of the first European circuit tournament kicks-off in Basel today it will be all the doubles events in action on display. Sikki Reddy/Ashwini Ponnappa will be first out on court for the Indian contingent taking on the third-seeds Marcus Ellis/Lauren Smith of England. Ashwini will then return for her second match of the evening with Satwik Sairaj as they take on second-seeds Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja/Hafiz Faizal of Indonesia.

 

Also in action on the opening day are the fancied French pair Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue and the experienced Dutch pair – Robin Tabeling/Selena Piek. The action kicks off from 4pm local time at the St. Jakobshalle Arena in Basel Switzerland.

 

With the Olympic qualifications heating up and uncertainty surrounding future tournaments, the competition is expected to be fierce in the northwestern Swiss town. While PV Sindhu & B Sai Praneeth, alongside Satwik/Chirag have almost secured their Olympic berths, others such as Kidambi Srikanth, Saina Nehwal, Sikki/Ashwini will be looking to further their chances with impressive performances.

 

In addition to the Indian team, the Swiss Open will also have some high-profile names return to competitive badminton following the corona virus break. The Japanese contingent which missed the Asian leg of the BWF Tour, will feature in the main draw with Kento Momota being the top draw.

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