India International Challenge badminton: Ajay Jayaram, Mugda Agrey favourites in men's and women's singles

Mumbai: A total of 250 shuttlers from India and 12 other countries will lock horns during the Infosys Foundation India International Challenge tournament, which will be held from Wednesday. The tournament, which has the overall prize money of USD 25,000, will be played at the Cricket Club of India and the qualifying rounds will start on 20 November and the main draw from 21 November. The final will be held on 24 November, a media release said. [caption id=“attachment_2439698” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Ajay Jayaram. AFP[/caption] Apart from Indian players, this year will see participation from star players from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and players from countries like Russia, the United States, Bhutan, among others. In the Men’s Singles event, the No 1 and No 2 seeds are Vladimir Malkov (Russia) and Ajay Jayaram (India). The category will see young international players from India, Malaysia and Thailand challenge one another. In the Women Singles, World No 38 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand and Mugda Agrey of India are expected to give a tough competition to other players. Under the Men’s Doubles category, the tournament will witness the Indian duo of Sumeet Reddy and Manu Atri, seeded No 1, along with the American pair of Phillip Chew and Ryan Chew, who are seeded at No 2, give their best for the title. The Women’s Doubles category will see the dynamic and top-seed Russian duo Ekaterina Bolotova and Alina Davletova challenge the Indian pair Meghana and Poorvisha, who are seeded second. In the Mixed Doubles group, the Russian pair and World No 27 Rodion Alimov and Alina Davletova are the ones to watch out for. Legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone, who is also Founder and Director, Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), said, “Indian shuttlers are making their mark on international courts and this has led to a surge of interest in the sport, taking it from just a game played during holidays to a serious sport at a competitive level.” “The ranking points from this event are taken into consideration during the Olympic Qualification of players next year and hence, the competition is bound to be tough and exciting,” the former All England Champions noted.