Source:REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
[Saba Sports News] Recently, the 2025 Korea Open badminton tournament officially began. Due to two consecutive high-level Super 500 or above tournaments prior, many top players chose to rest, leading to significant changes in the draw. Following numerous pre-draw withdrawals last week, another wave of players withdrew just before the tournament started. In men’s singles, players like Shi Yuqi, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Brian Yang, and Srikanth Kidambi had already withdrawn before the draw was released. The latest draw shows that Li Shifeng has also withdrawn from this event. In women’s singles, Wang Zhiyi, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Ratchanok Intanon, Pusarla V. Sindhu, and Busanan Ongbamrungphan had withdrawn early. Sim Yu-jin, who just participated in the China Masters this week, also gave up the chance to compete at home. With several higher-ranked players in men’s and women’s singles withdrawing, this year’s Korea Open seems somewhat lacking in star power. The 2025 Korea Open is scheduled from September 23rd to 28th, is a Super 500 level event, and includes qualifying and main draws. The city hosting the annual international badminton event in Korea changes each year; this year, it’s being held at the Suwon Indoor Gymnasium. The total prize money is US$475,000, slightly lower than the Hong Kong Open.