India handed tough draw in Sudirman Cup
NEW DELHI: India has been drawn alongside 10-time champions China and Malaysia in the Sudirman Cup mixed team badminton championship to be held in Nanning, China from May 19 to 26.
India had reached the quarterfinals in the 2011 and 2017 editions, losing to China both times, and it will once again have a tough task in hand to qualify from Group 1D.
Top seeds Japan, searching their first Sudirman Cup title, are in Group 1A with Thailand and Russia.
Indonesia, winners of the first tournament in 1989, will be wary of Denmark and England in Group 1B, while defending champions Korea will also expect a challenge from Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong in Group 1C.
The top two teams from each sub-group in Group 1 will progress to the quarterfinals and compete for the title.
The other 19 teams from Groups 2, 3 and 4 will compete for overall placings.
The draw for the 31 participating teams, which are divided into four groups based on team rankings, was conducted in Nanning.
Sudirman Cup is a mixed team badminton championship with each tie featuring all the five formats.
Groupings:
Group 1
Group A: Japan, Thailand, Russia
Group B: Indonesia, Denmark, England
Group C: Chinese Taipei, Korea, Hong Kong
Group D: China, India, Malaysia
Group 2
Group A: Netherlands, France, USA, Vietnam
Group B: Germany, Canada, Singapore, Israel
Group 3
Group A: Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal
Group B: Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Slovakia, Lithuania
Group 4 Macau, Greenland, Kazakhstan.