Saina pulls out of Syed Modi International, Lakshya eyes season's 5th title
Saina Nehwal pulled out at the last moment to take some sheen off the Syed Modi International, beginning here on Tuesday, when the in-form Lakshya Sen will seek a third BWF World Tour title.
Three-time former champion Saina, who has been battling illness and injuries, is going through a bad patch, having lost six times in the first round this season.
The 29-year-old from Hyderabad has already pulled out of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) to prepare for the next season.
World champion P V Sindhu has chosen to give the tournament a miss.
The 18-year-old Lakshya, on the other hand, will look to grab his maiden Super 300 crown this week following his title triumphs at two Super 100 events -- Dutch and SaarLorLux Open -- this year.
Focus will also be on the men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who won the Thailand Open Super 500 title and then reached the finals of French Open Super 750 this season.
On a roll, Lakshya is coming into the tournament after ...