Preview: Olympic champion Carolina Marin will battle top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan as the Spaniard bids to reclaim her All England Open badminton crown in Birmingham this week. The 23-year-old became an improbable star by emerging from such a badminton backwater as Spain, and the gold medal she won in Rio last August was a priority to the exclusion of all else throughout 2016. [caption id=“attachment_3161426” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of PV Sindhu. AP[/caption] But Marin’s aims this year are entirely different. Her bid to regain the All England Open title she lost five months before Rio will begin against Line Kjaersfeldt, the world number 23 from Denmark, on Wednesday. “I didn’t win a Super Series last year, but it doesn’t matter - I won the most important event of all,” said Marin of her Rio success. Though she still has the highest profile, Marin is not the number one seed. That is Tai, a gifted stroke-maker from Taiwan who won the World Super Series finals in December and became the year’s highest prize money winner with $271,025. Much depends on how Marin feels physically. The bustling left-hander endured recurring thigh strains and variable fitness during the later stages of 2016, and on Sunday she withdrew without contesting the German Open final in Mulheim. This may merely have been a precaution, but it raises questions as to whether she really is fresher and better than at any time since her Games triumph, now nearly seven months ago. Tai and Marin are being helped by a gap in the production line of Chinese women’s singles champions. No Chinese woman stood on the Olympic podium in Rio, and none won the women’s singles at last year’s All England – despite 14 having done so in the previous 19 years. The criticism which has followed such setbacks prompted head coach Li Yongbo to call for calm. “Sometimes you are strong and sometimes you fall back,” he said, warning “the next generation comes up slowly”. A crucial encounter could be a quarter-final between Marin and Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, who became the All-England’s youngest ever singles finalist at the age of 18 four years ago. The quarter-finals could see a similarly stern test of Tai’s top-seeded status if she meets PV Sindhu, the sixth-seeded Olympic silver medallist, who has reportedly become India’s highest paid athlete after cricketer Virat Kohli. Sixth seed Sindhu will begin her campaign at the Barclaycard Arena against Danish Mette Poulsen. At this stage of her career, All England presents a perfect opportunity for the two-time World Championship bronze medallist to further elevate her profile. Meanwhile, the women’s singles has produced perhaps the most improbable first round in its 117-year history – a clash between Saina Nehwal, the former world number one from India, and Nozomi Okuhara, the All England title-holder from Japan. Injury sidelined Okuhara for seven months, leaving her unseeded. In the men’s section, Srikanth, HS Prannoy and Ajay Jayaram represent India in the singles. While Rio Olympic quarter-finalist Srikanth opens his campaign against a qualifier, Prannoy will take on China’s Qiao Bin. World No.19 and double Dutch Open winner Jayaram will meet China’s Huang Yuxiang. Only two Indians, Prakash Padukone and current chief coach P Gopichand have won titles at the All England and the latter will do his best to ensure that the drought ends in the prestigious badminton meet. In the men’s doubles category, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will face a qualifying pair in the opening round. The women’s doubles pair of Jakkampudi Meghana and Poorvisha S Ram will meet Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Ya Ching and Wu Ti Jung. The mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy will face South Koreans Yoo Yeon Seong and Kim Ha Na. With Agency inputs.
All England Championships, Highlights: Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy enter 2nd round
Sindhu will begin her campaign against Danish Mette Poulsen. At this stage of her career, the All England presents a perfect chance to further elevate her profile.
 "All England Championships, Highlights: Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy enter 2nd round")
Zhou Junpeng beats Srikanth Kidambi: 21-19, 19-21, 21-12
It was a day to forget for Srikanth Kidambi as he went down fighting in a close encounter against Junpeng. Kidambi looked lost after the third-game break and was more defensive, allowing Junpeng to attack even more.
Saina Nehwal beats Okuhara: 21-15, 21-14
Saina Nehwal trounces defending champion Okuhara in straight sets to enter the second round of the All England Open. She looks hungry for success and can possibly face third seed South Korean Sung Ji Hyun in the next round. Sung is known for her brilliant court coverage and work rate but trails 1-6 in head-to-head meetings against Saina.
.@NSaina leading 13-6 against Okuhara in the second game. #YAE17
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 8, 2017
Kidambi Srikanth makes comeback; wins second game 21-19
Elsewhere in men’s singles, Kidambi Srikanth gets the better of Junpeng to take the neck-and-neck match into the third and final game. This is a golden opportunity for the Hyderabad shuttler to make his mark in the tournament.
Saina Nehwal wins first game: 21-15
Looks like Saina Nehwal is under cruise control after comfortably winning the first game. Minor errors here and there cost a few points but she capitalised when needed.
Here’s what PV Sindhu had to say after her thumping win over Mette Poulsen!
Video Reaction | We caught up with @Pvsindhu1 after her opening round win today. Here is what the 2016 Rio silver medalist had to say #YAE17 pic.twitter.com/R6zvGbSkFj
— 🏆 Yonex All England Badminton Championships 🏆 (@YonexAllEngland) March 8, 2017
All eyes will now be on Saina Nehwal who is up against defending champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the first round of the women’s singles. The Japanese shuttler has been out of touch, which might give Saina the upper hand. Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, fit-again Srikanth Kidambi will face Zhao Junpeng. Get ready for some action-packed badminton!
Huang Yuxiang beats Ajay Jayaram: 21-19, 21-13
That’s it! Huang Yuxiang adds to Jayaram’s All England misery as he dominated the second game to enter the second round.
Yuxiang slightly ahead at the break of the second game. Leads 11-8 against Jayaram. #YAE17
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 8, 2017
Neck and neck in the second game as well. Jayaram 6-5 Yuxiang. #YAE17
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 8, 2017
Huang Yuxiang edges past Jayaram to take the first game 21-19. It was so close! #YAE17
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 8, 2017
Ajay Jayaram loses first game: 19-21
Jayaram has been struggling to lift shots pointed towards the tramline and that cost him the first game. However, he must look to play quicker than usual in the second game to avoid a straight-game loss.
Ajay Jayaram is the next Indian shuttler in action against Huang Yuxiang in the first round of the men’s singles event.
What a thumping win for PV Sindhu!
Birmingham lights up. Courtesy @Pvsindhu1. What a way to mark your arrival at #YAE17. Slayed the opponent with thunderous smashes. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/6eFYrvPB7o
— Premier Badminton League (@PBLIndiaLive) March 8, 2017
.@Pvsindhu1 cruises into the second round of All England Open after a comfortable 21-10, 21-11 win over Mette Poulsen. What a start! #YAE17
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 8, 2017
PV Sindhu smashes her way into the second round: 21-10, 21-11
From the start to finish, PV Sindhu trounced Mette Poulsen to win both the games without hiccups. This is what Pullela Gopichand and her fans want to see. Yet again, she read the threat in advance and covered the court to avoid any hassle. In return, Sindhu threw smashes from the basepoint to unsettle Poulsen. With that win, the Indian shuttler could possibly face top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei.
PV Sindhu wins first game 21-10
It is fair to say that PV Sindhu has dominated the first game and looks set to capitalise on the second. Poulsen is struggling to find her feet against Sindhu’s untouchable forward swings.
“This is one of the most important tournaments on the circuit. It is important to start well and I want to give my best. I have to play my game. Last time I lost in the first round, so I am eager to do better this time,” said PV Sindhu before the start of the All England Championship.
PV Sindhu vs Mette Poulsen
Next up, will be sixth seed PV Sindhu against 33rd ranked Danish Mette Poulsen in the women’s singles. The 21-year-old Indian shuttler will be looking forward to advancing into the second round after losing to Thai Porntip Buranaprasertsuk in the first round in the previous edition. However, Sindhu eyes the prestigious title this time around after making a brilliant start to 2017, winning the Premier Badminton League (PBL) crown with Chennai Smashers and the Syed Modi Grand Prix.
Outstanding victory for @PRANNOYHSPRI! We were hoping for a celebration like this one. 😉 #YAE17 pic.twitter.com/IzUosr33Zs
— Premier Badminton League (@PBLIndiaLive) March 8, 2017
HS Prannoy wins the first round: 17-21, 22-20, 21-19
HS Prannoy makes a stunning comeback from 18-13 to win the third game 21-19 and enters into the second round at the All England Championships!
It's a thriller between these two. HS Prannoy 12-12 Qiao Bin. #YAE17
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 8, 2017
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