New Delhi: Pandemic Covid-19 continues to take victims in the Indian Yonex-Sunrise Badminton tournament with two players withdrawn from the main draw in front of mixed double semi-final clashes here on Saturday.
SECOND Seeded Russia Mixed Doubles Player Rodion Alimov tested the positive virus and withdrawn from the USD 400,000 tournament.
The mixed doubles partner Alina Davletova was also withdrawn after being identified as close contact.
Indonesian pair Yong Kai Terry Hee and Wei Han Tan reached a mixed doubles final after getting a walkover.
“Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm that one player from the lottery has been tested positive for Covid-19 and has been withdrawn from YONEX-Sunrise India Open 2022,” said the BWF World Leadership Agency in a statement.
“Players restore positive results with a compulsory RT-PCR test conducted on Friday.
The double-double partner has been identified as a close contact and has also been withdrawn from the tournament.
Their opponents will be given a walkover to the final.” On Wednesday, as many as seven Indian shuttlers, including the World Championship Silver Medal of Kidambi Srikanth, were withdrawn from events after testing the positive virus.
Besides Srikanth, another player drawn was Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thkar, Treesesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Safe Singh and Khushi Gupta.
Previously, India B Sai Praneeth, the bronze winner of the 2019 World Championship, a double specialist Manu Attri and Dhru Rawat had been tested positively and had been pulled out before the start of the tournament.
All English badminton contingents have also been drawn before the Super 500 program after the country’s double specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson was tested positive for the virus.
Organized by the Indian Badminton Association, the Indian Open 2022 edition was detained behind a closed door at the Indira Hall Gandhi Stadium KD Jadhav Indoor.
In accordance with the Covid-19 protocol, all participating players are being tested every day at the hotel and outside the stadium.