Lakshya Sen opts out of Canada Open Super 500; set to train in France ahead of Paris Olympics 2024

Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen has withdrawn from the Canada Open Super 500 event. The tournament is slated to start on Tuesday (July 2) in Calgary, Canada. Defending champion Lakshya Sen has decided not to participate and will instead head straight to France to prepare for the Paris Olympics 2024.

He will be preparing with the Popov brothers, Toma and Christo, at the Halle des Sports Parsemain in Marseille. It is worth mentioning that the last title on the BWF World Tour that Lakshya won was the 2023 Canada Open.

The World No. 14 opted to pull out of the tournament keeping in mind that it would not affect his ranking at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Earlier, he confirmed his participation in the Paris Olympics after qualifying for the semi-finals of the French Open and the All England Open.

For the unversed, Lakshya has reunited with South Korean coach Yoo Yong-Sung ahead of Paris 2024.

“It’s nice to be back with Lakshya. I am going to be with him for a month or so for now,” Sung told Hindustan Times ahead of their trip to France.

Lakshya Sen is yet to win a title in the 2024 season. His semifinal finishes at the French Open and All England Open have been his best performances so far.

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Priyanshu Rajawat to lead the Indian contingent at Canada Open in absence of Lakshya Sen

With Lakshya Sen not participating, Priyanshu Rajawat will spearhead the Indian contingent at the Canada Open. He is set to face Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in the Round-of-32 clash on Wednesday.

Besides, S Sankar Muthusamy and Ayush Shetty will also be making their presence felt at the event. Speaking of women’s singles, expectations would be high on Anupama Upadhyay and Tanya Hemanth.

Meanwhile, Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek are the lone Indian pairing competing in the main draw of men’s doubles. On the other hand, in the women’s doubles, Trees Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand received a bye in the first round.

As far as the mixed doubles are concerned, Tarun Kona-Sri Krishna Priya and Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde will be participating in the competition.

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