An unnamed Indian woman shuttler was on Tuesday forced to withdraw from the Orleans Masters after a team entourage member tested positive for Covid-19 and she was identified as a close contact.

Meanwhile, India’s Ajay Jayaram, Kiran George and Mithun Manjunath won their first round matches. Ajay beat compatriot Alap Mishra 19-21, 23-21, 21-16 while George beat Mark Caljouw 13-21, 21-18, 22-20 and Mithun beat Lucas Claerbout 21-14, 21-10.

In a statement, the Badminton World Federation said that a total of three players have been withdrawn from the event which began with the qualifiers in Paris.

“An Indonesian women’s doubles pair has been withdrawn after one player tested positive to the mandatory PCR test conducted on Monday,” the BWF stated.

“An Indian women’s singles player has been withdrawn after a team entourage member tested positive to the mandatory PCR test. The singles player was identified as a close contact of the entourage member and as a result the player has been withdrawn from the tournament,” it added.

The withdrawn players have been asked to self-isolate in their hotel rooms. The BWF, however, did not reveal the identities of the players.

For India, the next player on the reserve list, Ira Sharma has been promoted into the women’s singles main draw.

The $90,000 Super 100 tournament will offer valuable points for Olympic qualification.

With PTI Inputs