Veteran shuttler HS Prannoy and rising women’s singles player Tanvi Sharma will spearhead India’s campaign at the Korea Open 2026, with several leading players missing from the contingent for the BWF Super 500 tournament.
The competition begins on Tuesday at Jinnam Stadium in South Korea. India will be without two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and Lakshya Sen, who recently clinched the Hylo Open title.
With Sen not participating, Prannoy will be India’s only entrant in the men’s singles main draw. The 34-year-old, currently ranked 38th in the world, will begin against South Korea’s Yoo Tae-bin, an Asian Games bronze medallist.
Prannoy, a World Championships bronze medallist and former world No. 6, has had a challenging season. He has progressed beyond the second round only once across 14 BWF tournaments, with a semifinal appearance at the Vietnam Open in September marking his best result.
In women’s singles, Tanvi Sharma and Anmol Kharb will represent India in the main draw. Tanvi enters the tournament after a promising season that included her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Taipei Open. Malvika Bansod and Ashmita Chaliha, who won the Korea Masters title earlier this year, have withdrawn.
India’s men’s doubles challenge will be limited to Arjun Reddy Pochana and Achutaditya Rao Doddavarapu, who will compete in the qualifying rounds. Ritika Thaker and Sonali Singh will feature in women’s doubles, while Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K will contest the mixed doubles main draw.
India have a strong history at the Korea Open. Sindhu won the women’s singles title in 2017, while Rankireddy and Shetty secured the men’s doubles championship in 2023.
