BWF Swiss Open 2026 Preview: PV Sindhu Set To Skip After Dubai Ordeal; Srikanth, Prannoy Will Spearhead Indian Challenge

After missing out on the All England Open 2026, 2-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is set to skip the Swiss Open 2026 to recover from the 3-day ordeal she had to go through in Dubai due to the US-Israel-caused conflict in the Middle East.

Sindhu and her entourage were stuck in Dubai after flight operations were suspended due to Gulf airspace restrictions following the US and Israeli bombing of Iran and the subsequent retaliation by Tehran. She was to travel to Birmingham via Dubai but could not do so.

Badminton Association of India's secretary Sanjay Mishra confirmed the development, stating that she has asked for some time off.

"She is not playing at Swiss Open. We all know what she went through in Dubai, she couldn't travel to Birmingham. So she has sought some time to recover from it." - BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra told PTI.

In a separate statement, Sindhu herself confessed that she was put under major stress when stuck in Dubai and that she never wants to experience anything like that ever again.

"There was a lot of stress. And it was scary. I think the only thing maybe was to stay calm. I hope it's the first and the last experience like this way." Sindhu had said.

The 30-year-old is likely to return to action at the Badminton Asia Championships in April.

HS Prannoy And Kidambi Srikanth To Spearhead Indian Contingent

H S Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth will spearhead the Indian challenge at the USD 250,000 tournament starting here on Tuesday.

In men's singles, Srikanth, who reached two finals last year at the Malaysia Masters and Syed Modi International, will open against Jason Gunawan, who had dashed his hopes of ending a title drought in Lucknow.

Prannoy, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist and Asian Games bronze winner, will take on Japan's Koki Watanabe.

His academy teammate Tharun Mannepalli will face another Japanese player Kenta Nishimoto, while Ayush Shetty will take on Canada's Brian Yang. Kiran George will meet Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in another opening round clash.

Sat-Chi Brace Brace For Singaporean Challenge After All England Open Disappointment

In men's doubles, world No. 4 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face Singapore's Eng Keat Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo. The Indian pair had exited in the opening round of the All England Championships last week.

The men's doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun will take on Chinese Taipei’s Chen Zhi Ray and Lin Yu Chieh.

In the absence of Sindhu, Unnati Hooda will face Chinese Taipei's Chiu Pin-Chian, while Malvika Bansod will take on Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong in women’s singles.

In women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela will face Hu Ling Fang and Zheng Yu Chieh of Chinese Taipei. The Indian pair had won the Syed Modi International Super 300 title for the second successive time last year but exited in the opening round of the All England Championships.

In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will take on Denmark’s Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund, while Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika will face Thailand’s Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat.