Srikanth, Tanvi spearhead Indian challenge at German Open Super 300

Veteran shuttler Kidambi Srikanth and World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi Sharma will headline the Indian contingent at the German Open Super 300 tournament beginning here on Tuesday.

Former world number one Srikanth, who clinched a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships, showed encouraging form last season with runner-up finishes at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 and the Syed Modi International Super 300, though a title has remained elusive.

The 31-year-old had slipped to 82 in the rankings but has since climbed back to world number 32 and is working to further improve his position to secure direct entries into the higher-tier Super 750 and Super 1000 events. He will open his campaign against a qualifier.

In women’s singles, 16-year-old Tanvi, currently ranked 40, will face Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching in the opening round.

Tanvi had stretched world number two Wang Zhi Yi and world number 12 Tomoka Miyazaki to three games at the India Open and Indonesia Masters earlier this season. She also stunned world number 17 Busanan Ongbamrungphan at the Asia Badminton Team Championships.

The teenager has enjoyed a consistent run since late last year, finishing runner-up at the Guwahati Masters Super 100 and the US Open Super 300 in 2025, as well as reaching the semifinals of the Syed Modi International Super 300.

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Malvika Bansod, ranked 51, will be playing her sixth tournament of the year after returning from a significant knee injury sustained during the Indonesia Open in June 2025, which forced her to retire while leading her match. She will take on Denmark’s Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt in the opening round.

World number 45 Isharani Baruah, who reached the quarterfinals at the Thailand Masters Super 300 and finished runner-up at the Odisha Masters 2025, will face Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong.

Tasnim Mir faces a stern opening-round test against top seed Wang Zhi Yi of China.

In the men’s singles draw, Kiran George will meet France’s Christo Popov, while Tharun Mannepalli takes on Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei.

In qualification, Aakarshi Kashyap will face Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po.

In women’s doubles, the Indian pair of Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam will square off against Hsu Yin-Hui and Lin Jhih Yun of Chinese Taipei.

Published on Feb 23, 2026