ODENSE (Denmark), Oct 16: Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy has pulled out of the Denmark Open Super 750 tournament due to a back injury that troubled him during his maiden bronze medal-winning run at the recently-concluded Asian Games.
The 31-year-old Indian had battled excruciating back pain to secure India’s first medal in men’s singles in 41 years at Hangzhou but now he will have to sit out for two to three weeks due to the injury.
“We are not looking at playing any tournament this month. Something also came up in the MRI as well, so I will have to be out for 2-3 weeks, so I will not be able to play Denmark and France,” Prannoy said.
“I will need to rest and then start with rehab.” In his absence, India’s charge will be led by Lakshya Sen, who will be back on the court after playing a vital role in India’s first-ever silver medal in men’s team event at the Asian Games.
World No. 15 Sen, who remained unbeaten at the Asian Games, will open against Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen and is likely to meet sixth seed Shi Yuqi of China in the second round.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu too will look for a good outing after a semifinal finish at the Arctic Open last week. She will be up against Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour.
World No. 20 Kidambi Srikanth, who is also desperately looking to accumulate ranking points to make the cut for the Paris Olympics, will take on China’s Weng Hong Yang in his opening game. (PTI)
