Singapore: Saina Nehwal on Monday pulled out of the USD 350,000 Singapore Super Series to spend more time in training to improve her game ahead of the hectic international circuit.
Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu, meanwhile, will look to put behind her disappointing first-round exit at Malaysia when she leads the Indian challenge here.
The 27-year-old Saina said she will next play at the Asian Badminton Championship to be held at Wuhan, China later this month.
While Saina will be missing in action, Sindhu, who clinched her maiden India Open at New Delhi to achieve a career-best World No. 2 ranking, will have to get over the heart-break at Kuching, where she was stunned by upcoming Chinese shuttler Chen Yufei.
However, a tough draw awaits Sindhu as she is slated to face Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, 2016 All England Open champion and Rio Olympic bronze medallist.
In men’s singles, India’s B Sai Praneeth will meet Denmark’s Emil Holst after his compatriot Jan Jorgensen pulled out of the event. Sameer Verma will face Hong Kong’s Hu Yun, whom he had beaten at the India Open earlier this month. (PTI)
