Saina Nehwal pulls out of All England 2023: Report
The Olympic bronze medalist has been replaced by Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min as per media reports.
Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal pulled out of the All England Open 2023, the reason for which is yet to be known. The Olympic bronze medalist has been replaced by Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min as per media reports.
Meanwhile, India's men's doubles Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have also seen a last minute change in their fixture. The Indian top pair will now take on compatriots Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala in the opening round game. Satwik and Chriag were initially drawn against Indonesia's Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, who pulled out from the competition due to latter's ill-health as mentioned on the official website.
It comes as a blessing in disguise for the Indian pair as they had never defeated the Indonesian's in 11 previous encounters.
PREVIEW | Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu resume All England quest
In another development there will be no representation by India in mixed doubles, as the pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto too withdrew from the event at the last hour. As per a report in The Bridge, Bhatnagar had sustained an injury during the National Badminton Championships in Pune earlier this month.
The opening day of the tournament will see top Indian men shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, and HS Prannoy in action. Prannoy will lock horns with Taiwanese player Wang Tzu-wei, while Sen will face Chou Tien-chen, also from Taiwan.
Srikanth will get his campaign underway against French shuttler Toma Junior Popov.
Only two Indians – Prakash Padukone in 1980 and Pullela Gopichand in 2001 –have won the prestigious tournament so far, while Prakash Nath, Saina and Sen have managed to reach the finals.
