PV Sindhu Pulls Out of All England Open
Hyderabad: Ace shuttler PV Sindhu has pulled out of the All England Open badminton tournament, which begins on Tuesday, after being stranded in Dubai due to airport closures amid tensions in the region.
Sindhu had left India on Saturday to compete in the prestigious event. However, the closure of Dubai airport disrupted her onward journey to Birmingham, leaving her stuck for two days. She is currently safe at a hotel in Dubai along with her coaching team.
With the situation yet to improve, travelling to the tournament venue became difficult. Announcing the development on Monday night, Badminton Association of India secretary Sanjay Mishra confirmed that Sindhu would not participate in the tournament.
Sindhu was scheduled to face Supanida Katethong of Thailand in the first round.
In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty have reached London without any disruption and will compete as scheduled. Sen is set to take on world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China in the opening round.
In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda will represent India. Hooda travelled to England via Africa.
In doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, will compete. In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, and the pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani, are also in the fray.
