Korea Open 2025: HS Prannoy retires mid-game as India's campaign ends in opening round

Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya Sen skipped the Korea Open 2025.

India’s campaign disappointingly ended in the opening round of the ongoing Korea Open 2025, with all players, bar HS Prannoy, bowing out after defeats. Prannoy retired hurt in the opening game of his first-round clash.

Prannoy, 33, faced Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in the first-round men’s singles match, but the Indian was forced to retire midway due to injury.

He was trailing at 8-16 in the first game, when Prannoy was visibly struggling with discomfort and could not continue action on the court.

With this, the wait for another title only grows longer for the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, . What was once a season of promise has turned into one of frustration for Prannoy.

He has sufferred a total of seven first-round exits and just six round-of-16 appearances on the 2025 BWF World Tour so far.

India had high hopes in 20-year-old Ayush Shetty. The world No. 27 Indian was up against the Chinese Taipei’s Su Li-yang, but he went down 14-21 in the opening game.

The US Open Super 300 winner fought back brilliantly in the second, clinching it 22-20 in a thriller, but could not maintain the momentum in the decider, losing the game 21-14 and the match.

Also Read: BWF Korea Open 2025: Updated schedule, fixtures, results & live streaming details

Meanwhile, in women’s singles, Anupama Upadhyaya was the only player from India but she faced a tough opponent in the fourth seed and World Championships bronze Putri Kusuma Wardani.

Unfortunately, the former BWF World Junior no.1 went down in straight games, 16-21, 15-21.

India’s doubles hopes also faded early in the first round in Suwon. Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan suffered a straight-game loss against Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara, losing 21-7, 21-14.

Others in the Indian campaign were Tharun Mannepalli and Meiraba Luwang Maisnam but they failed to advance from the men’s singles qualifying rounds of the BWF Super 500 tournament.

No doubt, the Indian contingent in Korea was weakened by the absence of its leading start shuttlers. PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen skipped the event.

Moreover, the men’s doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who were the runners-up at the recent Hong Kong and China Masters also chose to take rest after a packed schedule.

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