Shuttlers Saina, Srikanth out to defend India Open titles

With the Rio Games fast approaching, ace shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth will look to hit top gear by retaining their respective titles at the India Open Super Series, which gets underway with the qualifiers at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here on Tuesday.

Saina, who bagged a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event, will enter the premier event after a quarterfinal and semifinal finish at the All England and Swiss Open respectively.

Srikanth endured a mixed season so far, winning the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in January before losing in the second round of All England and third round at German Open last month.

P V Sindhu, HS Prannoy, Ajay Jayaram, B Sai Praneeth are among the other Indians who will feature in the prestigious tournament.

Meanwhile, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will lead the Indian challenge in the women's doubles event and will square off against Korea's Go Ah Ra and Yoo Hae Won.