Saina Nehwal and Malvika Bansod withdraw from the competition
The Taipei Open 2023 will mark the conclusion of the Asian leg of the BWF World Tour. Several renowned badminton players from around the globe are expected to compete in the BWF 300 tournament, which is scheduled from June 20th to June 25th in Chinese Taipei.
Several players, including Kodai Naraoka, the current men’s top seed in singles, have decided to withdraw from the tour. Naraoka, a promising young player from Japan, was defeated by India’s HS Prannoy, who holds the top seed, in the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open (BWF 1000) last week.
Stepping in to take Naraoka’s place is Parupalli Kashyap, the gold medalist from the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Interestingly, Kashyap made his first appearance in the tournament back in 2007 at the age of 21.
From an Indian perspective, the second highest-ranked women’s singles players, Saina Nehwal, and the young player Malvika Bansod have withdrawn from the competition. The reasons behind their withdrawals remain unknown. Saina Nehwal, in particular, has been experiencing a challenging phase in her career, having missed out on five previous events: the Swiss Open, All England Badminton Championships, Sudirman Cup trials, Badminton Asia Championships, and Malaysia Masters.
In the mixed doubles category, the top-seeded pair of Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie will be substituted by Wang Chan and Shin Seung Chan. As a result of Naraoka’s withdrawal, the local favorite Chou Tien Chen will hold an advantageous position in the men’s singles event, having already emerged victorious in the competition four times out of the last five editions.
