Saina Nehwal tests COVID-positive, withdraws from Thailand Open
HS Prannoy has also reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 while Parupalli Kashyap has been asked to quarantine as he was in close contact with Saina Nehwal.
Badminton
Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal withdrew from the Yonex Thailand Open on Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Olympic medallist was set to return to competitive badminton action for the first time since March last year on the BWF World Tour’s Thailand Open on Tuesday against Malaysian Kisona Selvaduray.
However, those plans were ruined when Saina Nehwal’s third test in Thailand came back positive on Monday night.
The 30-year-old Saina, who was in a bio bubble in Bangkok since her arrival in the city on January 4, has reportedly been asked to quarantine herself at a nearby hospital.
Her husband Parupalli Kashyap has also been asked to go into quarantine as he was in close contact with Saina. His singles opponent, Canadian Jason Anthony Ho-Shue has also been given a walkover in the first round, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed.
Another member of the Indian badminton contingent at the Thailand Open, HS Prannoy has also tested positive and has withdrawn from his men’s singles tie against Malaysian Lee Zii Jia, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) confirmed.
The entire Indian badminton contingent is in self-quarantine in their hotel rooms currently and will be allowed to play if they return a negative result in their COVID test later today.
For updates on the Indian badminton contingent, follow the Thailand Open live blog.