PV Sindhu Withdraws from Swiss Open After Dubai Ordeal
Sindhu's Withdrawal from Swiss Open
PV Sindhu, the renowned shuttler with two Olympic medals, has decided to withdraw from this week's Swiss Open due to the traumatic experience she faced in Dubai, where Iranian missiles struck amid the ongoing Middle East tensions. The Indian contingent will be spearheaded by HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth at the $250,000 BWF World Tour Super 300 event, set to commence on March 10 in Basel.
Previously, Sindhu was en route to Birmingham for the All England Open when she became stranded in Dubai. Flight operations were halted across many Arab nations following Iran's retaliatory actions against US-Israel strikes, leaving her confined in a hotel with the unsettling sounds of bombings. Consequently, she missed the All England Open and returned home due to the lack of flights to Birmingham.
“She is not participating in the Swiss Open. We all understand the ordeal she faced in Dubai; she was unable to travel to Birmingham. Therefore, she has requested some time to recuperate,” stated Sanjay Mishra.
Sindhu expressed her struggle to cope with the frightening experience after returning home, saying, “There was a lot of stress. It was terrifying. Staying calm was the only option, though it’s not easy to say we are calm when we are not.” She added, “It was indeed very stressful, but I consider it an experience I hope to never encounter again.”
She is expected to make her comeback at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, scheduled for April 7–12. With Sindhu absent, India will be represented in women's singles by Unnati Hooda and Malvika Bansod. Unnati will compete against Chiu Pin-Chian from Chinese Taipei, while Malvika will face Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong.
In women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will take on Hu Ling Fang and Zheng Yu Chieh from Chinese Taipei. The Indian duo had previously clinched the Syed Modi International Super 300 title for the second consecutive year but faced an early exit at the All England Open.
Indian Men's Singles Challenge
In the men's singles category, Srikanth will go up against Jason Gunawan, who had previously thwarted his title aspirations at the Syed Modi International final last year. Prannoy, who recently earned a bronze medal at the 2023 BWF World Championships and the Asian Games, will compete against Japan’s Koki Watanabe. Lakshya Sen, who finished as a runner-up at the All England Open, will not be participating in this event.
Ayush Shetty, the US Open Super 300 champion, will face Canada’s Brian Yang for the first time, while Tharun Mannepalli will take on another Japanese player, Kenta Nishimoto. Kiran George will meet Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in another opening-round match.
In men's doubles, World No. 4 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will aim to recover from their first-round exit at the All England Open, starting their campaign against Singapore’s Eng Keat Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo. The other men's doubles team of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will compete against Chinese Taipei’s Chen Zhi Ray and Lin Yu Chieh.