Sindhu skips Swiss Open after Dubai ordeal, Srikanth and Prannoy lead Indian charge

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will sit out the Swiss Open , giving herself time to recover after a harrowing experience in Dubai that forced her withdrawal from the All England Championships . The USD 250,000 tournament, starting Tuesday, will see H S Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth spearheading the Indian challenge in Sindhu’s absence.

Sindhu’s ordeal began when she was stranded in Dubai for three days due to Gulf airspace restrictions following escalating tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran. Scheduled to fly to Birmingham via Dubai, she was unable to travel, leaving her unable to compete at the prestigious All England event.

“She is not playing at the Swiss Open. We all know what she went through in Dubai; she couldn’t travel to Birmingham, so she has sought some time to recover,” said Sanjay Mishra , secretary of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) . Reflecting on her experience, Sindhu admitted the ordeal was frightening and stressful. “There was a lot of stress. And it was scary. I think the only thing maybe was to stay calm. It’s not ideal, but you do what you can. I hope this is the first and last experience like this,” she said.

Sindhu is expected to return to action at the Badminton Asia Championships in April. Meanwhile, in the men’s singles draw, Srikanth , who reached two finals last year at the Malaysia Masters and Syed Modi International , opens against Jason Gunawan , while Prannoy , 2023 World Championships bronze medallist and Asian Games medallist, faces Japan’s Koki Watanabe . Tharun Mannepalli, another promising talent from Prannoy’s academy, will meet Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto , and Ayush Shetty takes on Canada’s Brian Yang . In a key opening clash, Kiran George will face Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew .

In men’s doubles, world No. 4 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty confront Singapore’s Eng Keat Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo , hoping to improve upon their early exit from the All England Championships. Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun will battle Chinese Taipei’s Chen Zhi Ray and Lin Yu Chieh .

With Sindhu absent, Unnati Hooda will represent India against Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian , while Malvika Bansod meets Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong . In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela , last year’s Syed Modi International Super 300 champions, face Chinese Taipei’s Hu Ling Fang and Zheng Yu Chieh . Mixed doubles pairings Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto , along with Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika , will also be in action against Denmark and Thailand’s top duos.

Despite Sindhu’s absence, Indian shuttlers are poised to deliver a strong performance, keeping fans eagerly anticipating a thrilling Swiss Open.