Birmingham: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is set to miss the All England Championships starting here Tuesday after being stranded in Dubai amid the US bombing of Iran and the resultant airspace closure in the Gulf region.
Travel disruptions have marred the build-up to the Super 1000 event, with Sindhu stuck in Dubai since Saturday after flights were suspended following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the subsequent retaliation by Tehran.
Sindhu and her team, including Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, had a narrow escape after an explosion near their place of stay. They were subsequently moved to a secure location as tensions flared across the Gulf.
The Indian ace was scheduled to face Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in the opening round but with Dubai airspace and airport continuing to be closed, she will be forced to pull out of the tournament.
Former India coach Vimal Kumar told PTI that Sindhu, who even contemplated travelling to Oman by road, has resigned herself to her fate.
“I have spoken to Sindhu this evening and she was really disappointed. She has resigned herself to her fate that she won’t be able to make it,” Vimal said.
“I told her (that) there are good things waiting to happen and she should focus on winning a Super 1000 in the year, or another world championships medal at home.”
“It is tough for an athlete because she was really looking good and her entire team was excited about All England. She also thought about travelling via road to Oman but it would have been too risky, so she dropped the plans,” Vimal added.
Badminton Word Federation (BWF) said it is also keeping a close watch, maintaining “real-time oversight of the situation and stand ready to assist delegations experiencing delays or route changes.”
“This includes reviewing and preparing potential contingencies within the competition schedule should any players experience delayed arrival,” the sport’s global governing body said.
While Sindhu’s participation remains uncertain, some of her fellow shuttlers have managed to reach Birmingham via alternate routes of Singapore and Africa. However, it remains to be seen how the long and taxing travel would impact their preparations.
India’s top men’s singles contender Lakshya Sen and rising youngster Ayush Shetty, have reached without any travel issues. While Lakshya has drawn world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China, Ayush is up against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the opening round.
For Lakshya, a former semifinalist and runner-up here, it will be another tough test against Shi, against whom he has lost four of his five previous meetings against the Chinese.
Vimal said Lakshya experienced tightness in his glues during the Badminton Asian Team Championships earlier this month but he is now fully fit.
“I think it would be a 50-50 match because Shi Yu Qi is a complete player, who has good deception and attack and Lakshya has to really make him work and retrieve well. He had beaten him at Asian Games (even) when he was suffering from a bout of fever,” Vimal said.
“He had some tightness in the glutes during BATC so he couldn’t play and then he had fever. It took him 4-5 days to recover. But he is in good shape now and it should be a good match,” he added.
Ayush, the US Open Super 300 champion, will look to turn the tide against Farhan, having lost three of their five encounters, including the most recent one at the Indonesia Masters in January.
In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod faces a stiff opening challenge against Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yufei of China.
Unnati Hooda, whose flight was cancelled Sunday forcing her to travel via Africa, will need to overcome jet lag when she takes on Thailand’s eighth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong in her opener.
In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, a former world No. 1, will spearhead India’s challenge against Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai in the first round.
The women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who registered back-to-back semifinal finishes at the event in 2022 and 2023, will face Japan’s Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are up against Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will meet fifth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France.
Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) remain the only Indians to have won the All England title. Besides them, only Saina Nehwal (2015 runner-up) and Lakshya (2022 runner-up) have come close in recent years.
