CHENNAI: In a big setback for Indian badminton, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has been forced to withdraw from the All England Open, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed early Tuesday. Sindhu's withdrawal seemed inevitable as she has been stranded in Dubai since Saturday due to ongoing West Asia turmoil, which had led to closure of airspace at the said region.
"No.3 seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran withdrew from the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2026. Former world champion Pusarla V Sindhu also withdrew from the most prestigious tournament on the HSBC BWF World Tour due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East where she remains stuck in Dubai and unable to reach the tournament in time," the BWF said in a statement.
As per the women's singles draw, the double Olympic medallist was scheduled to open her campaign against Supanida Katethong of Thailand. In Sindhu's absence, Wen Chi Hsu of Chinese Taipei will be Supanida's opponent in the first round.
As reported by The New Indian Express on Sunday, Unnati Hooda was another Indian shuttler whose plans had taken a hit due to the ongoing conflict. But she had boarded a last-minute flight via Africa in order to be part of the BWF World Tour Super 1000 event.
Bearing in mind the long travel and late arrival, the youngster's task becomes even more challenging now as she'll be meeting Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand on the opening day itself. Malvika Bansod, who had also barely reached on time, will also be in action on the opening day.
From India's perspective, the main focus will be on Lakshya Sen (men's singles), who will be up against World No 1 Shi Yu Qi of China. Women's doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will also begin their campaign on the opening day itself.