Having trained in Spain for a month, top Indian para shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam are hoping to start the 2022 season with wins in two upcoming Spanish Open tournaments.

Bhagat and Kadam will be playing in both the Spanish Open tournaments which will be held three days apart from each other.

The first tournament, which is a Grade 2 event, starts Tuesday in Victoria while the second competition, a Grade 1 competition, will be held from March 9-13 in Cartagena.

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“The Spanish tournament is always important as it kickstarts the season. I have been practising in Spain for the past month and have a got a good idea of the speed of the court which should give me an added advantage,” Bhagat was quoted as saying in a media release.

“This is a crucial year for me as this has both World Championships and Asian Games,” added the men’s singles SL3 Paralympic champion.

Kadam, the world no 4, said his aim is to improve his ranking ahead of the big-ticket events like the Commonwealth Games and Asiad later this year.

“I want to keep my winning momentum going after winning the Uganada International and Nationals tournament. I have been working very hard on my game and that was the reason I came early to Spain to train and stay in focus of my goals,” said Kadam, who competes in the SL4 category.

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“These tournaments are really important as I want to improve on my ranking and with Asian Games and World championship coming this year, I want to keep my momentum,” he added.

In SL4 class, shuttlers have lower limb impairment/severe and they play standing.

Bhagat will be participating in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events while Kadam will compete in singles and doubles.