With the involvement of top-ranked shuttlers, the ongoing 82nd edition of Senior National Badminton Championships has shot back into prominence and is providing a solid platform for the budding shuttlers to meet or even play against big names in the country.
For instance, Lakshya Sen, the junior world number three who is touted as the next big thing in Indian badminton, is all set to meet men's singles star and world number two Kidambi Srikanth in the semi-final on Tuesday, November 7.
Also, young women's singles shuttlers Ruthvika Shivani and Anura Prabhudesai will take on Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal in the last-four rounds, respectively.
How to watch matches live in INDIA
Live streaming: https://gaming.youtube.com/channel/UCqz5xNe8h-nxfnUwEaUX-Ww/live
TV: DD Sports
Srikanth vs Sen
Start time: Not before 5pm IST
Top seed Srikanth, who was handed a direct entry to the last 16 round, made light work of unseeded Aryamann Tandon 21-14, 21-12 in his first match of the tournament.
The 24-year-old, who has been in the form of his life this season with four Superseries titles, was pushed to the limits by eighth seed Shubham Prajapati, but the Hyderabad shuttler managed to edge past his opponent in straight games - 21-17, 23-21.
Srikanth starts the semi-final of the ongoing tournament as favourite, but he cannot afford to take Sen lightly. The 16-year-old, who reached as high as junior world number one in 2016, is also the runner-up of the last edition, which was played in Patna earlier this year.
Sen had stunned the then top seed HS Prannoy in the quarter-final before losing to Sourabh Verma in the final to finish as the youngest runner-up in the tournament history.
Meanwhile, Sen seems to have successfully recovered from the disappointment of losing in the final of junior world championships quarter-final last month as he has looked confident in Nagpur. The Almora teenager benefitted from fourth seed Ajay Jayaram's retirement in the round of 16 on Monday, before he comfortably edged past seventh seed Pratul Joshi 21-18, 21-13 in the quarter-final.
HS Prannoy vs Shubhankar Dey
Start time: 1:30pm IST
Meanwhile, in the second men's singles semi-final, second seed and world number 11 Prannoy will take on 24-year-old Shubhankar Dey, who took out reigning Singapore Open champion Sai Praneeth in the round of 16 on Monday.
Saina vs Anura
Start time: Not before 4pm IST
Second seed Saina takes on fifth seed Anura in the first women's singles semi-final on Tuesday. The world number 11 eased past Vrushali in the round of 16 on Monday. Aakarshi Kashyap came up with a stiff fight in the quarter-final, but it was not enough to beat the veteran, who took the match 21-17, 21-10 in just 33 minutes.
The badminton champion @NSaina captured in candid shots at #SNBC2017 during the intense match sessions! pic.twitter.com/ELqMR0hyyt
— SNBCIndia (@SNBCIndia2017) November 6, 2017
Anura, the 19-year-old, who impressed in the Mauritius International in June, will face an uphill task, but the teenager will be looking to put up a stiff fight against her elder compatriot.
Sindhu vs Shivani
Start time: Not before 6pm IST
Top seed Sindhu, who is appearing in the Senior Nationals three years after her title-winning run in 2013, takes on defending champion Shivani in women's singles. The reigning world championships silver medallist will start as favourite to win her match against her 20-year-old opponent, who has not yet made a mark at the international level.
