Korea Open: Ayush Shetty, Prannoy headline depleted Indian line-up

Suwon [South Korea], September 22 (ANI): Ayush Shetty and former World Championships medalist HS Prannoy will be the headliners of the depleted Indian contingent at the Korea Open 2025 tournament starting from Tuesday onwards in Suwon, South Korea.

The tournament, which is a Badminton World Tour (BWF) Super 500 tournament, will be played at South Korea’s Suwon Gymnasium, as per Olympics.com.

Prannoy, the former World Championship medalist, a bronze, and former world number six, has faced consistency issues since touching his peak in 2023. Ranked 33rd, he is aiming for his first BWF World Tour title since that year’s Malaysia Masters.

Prannoy will be joined by Ayush Shetty, who is the only Indian to win a BWF World Tour title this season, the US Open title in June, which was a Super 300 tournament.

Kiran George is also a part of the main draw, with Tharun Mannepalli and Meiraba Luwang Maisnam playing the qualifiers. The former world number one Kidambi Srikkanth has withdrawn.

Lakshya Sen, the Paris 2024 Olympics semifinal and men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who made it back-to-back finals in the Hong Kong Open and China Open, will also be missing a tournament. Satwik-Chirag won the tournament back in 2023. Their biggest accomplishment this year has been a BWF World Championships bronze, their second bronze and second medal overall at a marquee event.

Also, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu has also pulled out of the competition, with Anupama Upadhyaya as India’s sole representative in the women’s singles competition.

Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan, meanwhile, represent the Indian tricolour in mixed doubles.

Indian badminton squad at Korea Open 2025

-Men’s singles: Ayush Shetty, HS Prannoy, Kiran George; qualifiers: Tharun Mannepalli, Meiraba Luwang Maisnam

-Women’s singles: Anupama Updhyaya

-Mixed doubles: Mohit Jaglan-Lakshita Jaglan. (ANI)

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