Kunlavut Vitidsarn withdraws from China Open 2023

He was recently crowned the world champion in the men's singles

The China Open 2023, the season's final Super 1000 tournament has commenced from today, a week after the conclusion of the BWF World Championship in Copenhagen. The tournament signifies a significant return to the regular badminton calendar after a four-year hiatus since 2020, primarily attributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel constraints.

In a significant setback, the recently crowned world champion in men's singles, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, has regrettably withdrawn from the China Open 2023. He announced his withdrawal on Monday (September 4th) ,which is just a day before the commencement of the Championship.

Vitidsarn, who held the No. 3 seed, was originally scheduled to compete against Priyanshu Rajawat in the opening round. However, his place has now been taken by Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, who has been promoted from the reserves list. The player from Thailand has become the ninth player to withdraw from China Open. Vitidsarn defeated Kodai Naraoka to win his maiden BWF World Championships title and now will now look to carry forward the momentum at the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games.

Earlier, Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth too withdrew from the prestigious championship.

In absence of Srikanth, HS Prannoy was set to lead the Indian contingent but he exited in the opening round after suffering a defeat against Malaysia's No. 2 Ng Tze Yong. With the exit of Priyanshu Rajawat, Lakshya Sen remains India's only hope in the men's singles of China Open 2023.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be vying for their second Super 1000 title in the men's doubles event, while MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will be endeavoring to make a significant impression.

Viewers in India can tune in to the Sport 18 channel for the live telecast of the BWF China Open 2023. Additionally, the live streaming of this highly anticipated badminton tournament will be accessible on Jio Cinema, as well as the official YouTube channel of the Badminton World Federation, BWF TV.