After a disappointing performance by the Indian shuttlers in the Australian Open, the talented crop will be determined to do better in the Indonesia Open Superseries Premier.
Top Indian players such as Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth have started on the right note as they put up a good performance in the women's and men's singles respectively to reach the second round of the competition.
Saina may not have looked great in her first game as her opponent, Thailand's Nichaon Jindapon, gave the Indian a tough time with the score reading, 21-16 and 21-18. But, it was the experience and class of the Saina, which helped her prevail in the outing at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
In her second round clash, Sania will face Chinese Taipei's Hsu Ya Ching, who defeated Indian PV Sindhu in straight games. After defeating Sindhu, Ya Ching will be eager to stop the second-seeded Indian as well.
But, it might be a huge ask for the Chinese Taipei player as Saina looks determined to land the Indonesia Open title. Make no mistake, Saina, the favourite for the second round clash, will not take Ya Ching lightly.
Indian fans will also keep an eye on the men's singles, where India's top shuttler Kidambi Srikanth will face qualifier Ginting Anthony. If Srikanth plays to his potential in this second round clash, the Indian should not have any difficulty in progressing further in the competition.
Srikanth faced a stern test in the first round of the competition against Denmark's Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, who won the first game. Srikanth showed a lot of character to win the next two games with the match finishing in his favour 11-21, 21-14 and 24-22. The match lasted for an enthralling 50 minutes.
Such a victory against the Dane might have come at the right time for the fourth seeded Indian, who has not looked sharp in previous competitions. It might help him attain a certain level of confidence.
Srikanth's biggest test might come up in the semifinals of the Indonesia Open, where he is drawn to face the top seed from China Chen Long.
Where to Watch Live
The live coverage of Kidambi Srikanth vs Ginting Anthony match is expected to start at 1:00 pm local time (11:30 am IST, 2am ET, 7am BST), while Saina Nehwal vs Hsu Ya Ching is expected to approximately start at 4:45 pm local time (3:15 pm IST, 5:45 am ET, 10:45 BST) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2HD with live streaming on starsports.com.
The live scores can be followed on BWF official website.
