Lakshya Sen pulls out of Canada Open Super 500, set to train in France

Lakshya Sen, the defending champion, pulled out of the Canada Open Super 500 on Tuesday as he shifted his focus to preparations for the Paris Olympics.

The Canada Open is starting on Tuesday in Calgary, Canada.

Lakshya will head to France to train with the Popov brothers - Toma and Christo - at the Halle des Sports Parsemain in Marseille.

Canada Open was the last title Lakshya won on the BWF World Tour in 2023.

While the reason for his withdrawal is still not known, it is believed that Lakshya took the decision as his performance at the event would not change his seeding at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

This season, the Indian shuttler played in two semifinals at the French Open and All-England Open, helping him qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In Lakshya's absence, Priyanshu Rajawat will lead the charge for India at the event. The youngster will face Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in the Round of 32 on Wednesday.

S Sankar Muthusamy and Ayush Shetty are the other two Indian contenders in the fray at the Canada Open.

In women's singles, in a diluted field, Anupama Upadhya and Tanya Hemanth will be the Indian hopes.

In men's doubles, Krishna Garga and Sai Pratheek are the lone Indian pairing competing in the main draw. The duo will face Lap Pong and Larry Pong of Canada in the first round.

In women's doubles, Trees Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand got a bye in the first round.

In mixed doubles, Kona Tarun-Sri Krishna Priya and Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde will be the Indian representatives at the BWF World Tour event.