Sindhu, Nehwal wish countrymen on Republic Day

Sindhu, who was supposed to feature in the All England Open competition in Birmingham starting from Tuesday, was stuck in Dubai following a crisis which started due to a sharp escalation in West Asia after Israel and the United States launched coordinated strikes on Iranian military and nuclear-linked sites. The operation triggered retaliatory threats and airspace closures in several countries, including Iran and Iraq, disrupting major international air corridors.

The two-time Olympic medallist shared her relief and gratitude in a post on X, offering a glimpse into the anxiety she faced during the past few days.

PV Ramana, Indian star badminton player PV Sindhu's father, said that his daughter confirmed that the Indian Embassy in Dubai is taking care of her amid the Israel-Iran tensions and that they arranged accommodation for her in a hotel.

Olympian shuttler Saina Nehwal was honoured with the Bhavya Bharat Bhushan Award by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore.

Having qualified second in Group C behind Japan, India depended on their singles strength against Korea in the men's quarterfinal in the absence of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Lakshya Sen. And it looked like their strategy paid off when Ayush Shetty earned three match points in the first singles against Yoo Tae Bin in the decider. But the former world junior bronze medalist failed to convert those three and despite saving three match points himself and earning one more, the Indian ultimately suffered a 18-21, 21-14, 26-24 reversal in an hour and 24 minutes, as per a Badminton Association of India (BAI) press release.