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ShareMumbai: Top players will use the second edition of the Tata Open as a warm-up event for the World Championship beginning in Hyderabad from August 8. No.1 seed Chetan Anand and national champion Arvind Bhat have one eye on the elite event but want to put tick marks on different boxes during this Category A tournament.
Bhat is searching for the trigger, one that allows him to lift his game. For Anand, who wasn't fully fit during the recent Asian tour, the event is an extension of his training schedule. While Bhat will take a week off before returning to training for the World event, Anand is trying to work out an arrangement where he can train at the National Centre in Malaysia for 25 days. Anand is also set to play in Thailand Open ahead of the World Championship.
"I have been playing well recently but have not been able to win matches. I hope to get a few wins under my belt here. It's a mental zone which I am trying to reach. When I am in that zone I play at my best and, more importantly, win matches. This is an ideal tournament ahead of the World Championships. It's a couple of grades lower than a Super Series and while the best players in India are participating there is no pressure associated with the bigger events," Bhat said on the sidelines of a practice session.
Anand is happy to be playing in India after a while. "I am hoping to train in Malaysia after this as I have realised that whenever I train aboard my game improves a few notches," Anand said.
The duo will face competition from rising stars No.3 seed P Kashyap and No.7 seed RMV Guru Sai Dutt and also No.4 seed Anand Pawar.
"In a draw of 32, anything can happen. Everyone will have to be on their toes from the word go," Pawar said.
Pawar opens his campaign against UK No.6 Jamie Bonsels. Nineteen-year-old Bonsels is here for the experience of playing in India. "The heat is really getting to me here. The courts are air-conditioned but it is really humid outside. Playing in these weather conditions will help me gain vital experience," Bonsels said.
For former National champion Aparna Popat, it is a comeback of sorts. Popat will return to the courts after nearly three years. She will be playing in the mixed doubles along with Joy T Anthony. She's returning for the love of the game. Whichever way her first round match goes Popat is bound to be satisfied.
No.1 women's seed Aditi Mutatkar practiced with a strapped right knee on Thursday evening. Mutatkar hasn't fully recovered from the mental scars of a persistent knee injury. She is hoping to regain confidence and dispel fears during the Tata Open. "I am feeling good now, but the real test will come when I play my matches. Hopefully, things will be fine," Mutatkar said. Mutatkar will face stiff competition from Sayali Gokhale, who has got a wild card for the World Championships.
Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas are the top seeds in the men's doubles, while Aparna Balan and Shruti Kurien are the No.1s in the women's doubles.
