PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will start their 2018 season at the Indonesia Masters on Wednesday. With both of them choosing to skip the Malaysia Masters last week, where Saina was the defending champion, this tournament should serve as ideal preparation for the India Open next week, where Sindhu is the defending champion.
With all the top 10 players in the world barring Akane Yamaguchi entering the tournament, the women's singles event will see a tough field slug it out to win the title. So what are Sindhu and Saina's chances of becoming the first Indian woman to win the title at the year's second big tournament?
Recent form
Both Saina and Sindhu last played at the Premier Badminton League, where they had contrasting fortunes.
Sindhu won four of her five matches, with her only loss coming against Sung Ji Hyun in a tight three-game match. On the other hand, Saina was troubled by an ankle injury and lost two of the four matches she played, failing to win a single game against world no. one Tai Tzu Ying and Olympic champion Carolina Marin.
Possible targets
Second-seeded Sindhu defeated World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying at the PBL, but that tournament was played in the 15-point format. While she would want to live up to her seeding, a potentially tricky opponent awaits her in the semi-final, where she might face Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon or world champion Nozomi Okuhara.
With the India Open being the next big tournament, Sindhu would want to get as many matches as possible under her belt to be in peak physical shape for next week.
Having had her fair share of injuries, Saina's first target would be to move beyond the opening round. She also looked out of shape at the PBL and it would be interesting to see if she can attain anywhere close to full fitness after a spate of injuries in the last few months.
First hurdle
With Saina slipping out of the top eight in the world rankings, she has had to face seeded opponents in the opening two rounds frequently and she'll face a tricky opponent in the opening match here in the form of Chen Yufei.
Saina's last match on the international circuit was a loss against Chen in the second round of the Hong Kong Open last year. Saina had won the opening game in that match but tired towards the end, losing 10-21 in the third game.
Unlike Saina, Chen played the Malaysia Masters last week, where she lost to Tai in the quarters. Chen had a breakthrough year on the international circuit last year and the Chinese teenager would be the firm favourite in this match.
Sindhu is likely to face the winner of the match between Saina and Chen in the last eight but she'll face Indonesia's Hanna Ramadini in the opening round. If Sindhu wins that match, she'll face a qualifier in the second round.
Who are the other Indians to watch out for?
Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy's late withdrawal proved to be a blessing in disguise for compatriot Parupalli Kashyap, who got promoted from qualifying into the main draw. With him replacing second-seeded Srikanth in the draw, he will not face seeded opponents in the opening round. This tournament might be a good chance for him to get back into rhythm after a tough 2017, where he failed to make a single Superseries quarterfinal.
He'll face Chong Wei Feng in the opening round and while he has lost all his four matches against the Malaysian in the past, he looked to be nearing his best at the PBL, where he won three of the four matches he played.
With the Commonwealth Games scheduled for later this year Kashyap -- the defending champion -- needs to climb up the ranking to seal a spot at the tournament, and Indonesia Masters might be his best opportunity to make a deep run.