Sindhu pulls out of Thailand Open to focus on World Championships

Top-ranked Indian shuttler P. V. Sindhu has withdrawn from the Thailand Open to focus on the upcoming 2019 BWF World Championships.

Sindhu's decision comes after a roller-coaster fortnight that saw her finish runner-up at the Indonesia Open and a quarterfinal appearance at the Japan Open.

India's top shuttler P. V. Sindhu has pulled out of the Thailand Open in order to prepare for next month's World Championships. The 2019 BWF World Championships will be held in Basel between August 19-25.  

As per media reports, Sindhu withdrew from the ongoing Thailand Open, where she was seeded fourth, to gain more time to focus on the upcoming World Championships. She was scheduled to face unseeded Chinese Han Yue in the first round, an opponent whom she easily beat at the Japan Open last week.

Sindhu's decision comes after a roller-coaster fortnight that saw her finish runner-up at the Indonesia Open and a quarterfinal appearance at the Japan Open. Her arch nemesis, Akane Yamaguchi, got the better of her on both ocassions.

Along with Sindhu, fellow top shuttlers including Yamaguchi, Tai Tzu Ying and Nozomi Okuhara have also opted out of the Thailand Open. In their absence, China's Chen Yufei has been made the top seed.

 

India's medal hopes in the women's singles will be pinned on Sania Nehwal, who is making a comeback after a lengthy injury lay-off. Saina, seeded seventh here, was forced to withdraw from both the Indonesia and Japan Open on medical grounds and will take on a qualifier in the opening round.