India's Top Shuttlers Withdraw from BWF Japan Open

India's Top Shuttlers Withdraw from BWF Japan Open

India's top badminton players, including PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have withdrawn from the upcoming BWF Japan Open, scheduled to commence on August 24.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed that defending champion Viktor Axelsen, fresh from winning his second Olympic gold medal, will be among the star attractions in the tournament. However, there have been several high-profile withdrawals, including Olympic champions Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong, Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, Chen Yu Fei, and Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti.

Lakshya Sen came close to winning the bronze medal for India in the Paris Olympics but lost to Axelsen in the semifinals. Other prominent withdrawals from India include Priyanshu Rajawat, Sameer Verma, Sankar Muthusamy, and Pusarla V Sindhu.

Despite the withdrawals, the field in all categories remains strong. Shi Yu Qi, Jonatan Christie, Anders Antonsen, Kodai Naraoka, and Kunlavut Vitidsarn are expected to compete in men's singles, while Tai Tzu Ying, Akane Yamaguchi, Wang Zhi Yi, and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung will be in action in women's singles.

In men's doubles, world champions Seo Seung Jae/Kang Min Hyuk will be looking for their first Japan Open title, while in women's doubles, local hopefuls Chiharu Shida/Nami Matsuyama and Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara will attempt to break the Korean success streak.

Olympic bronze medallists Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino will defend their mixed doubles title, with the field also featuring world champions Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung, Olympic silver medallists Kim Won Ho/Jeong Na Eun, and Indonesia Open winners Jiang Zheng Bang/Wei Ya Xin.

Tags: #BWFJapanOpen, #Badminton, #PVSindhu, #LakshyaSen, #HSPrannoy