India Open: After Injury-Afflicted Season, a Fresh Start

With a right shoulder injury having hampered her previous season and her Olympic qualification, Pornpawee Chochuwong is recovering lost ground. An efficient 21-17 21-16 defeat of Han Yue – who had beaten her nine times in their previous 12 meetings – was a good sign early in the new season as the Thai made the semifinals of the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2025.

“I’m really happy to get into the semis of a Super 750,” Chochuwong, who had nearly fallen outside the top 20 in May before making up with some strong performances in the second half of the year that has brought her to No.12.

“Last year I had a bad injury and it was hard to come back. It got better in the last part of the year. My shoulder was hurting and when I came back it was hard to adapt on court. I could only exercise my shoulder and prevent further injury, and I was trying to strengthen it and prevent pain. It was frustrating but I had to protect my body.”

Pornpawee Chochuwong

Her last semifinal at a Super 750 or higher tournament was in December 2021, and although she has been in several semifinals at the Super 500 level, and even won a Super 300 in Spain in 2023, her India Open performance signified a strong start to a new season after a difficult year.

With several senior players who have dominated women’s singles in the evening of their careers, Chochuwong reckons she is in a good position to force her way into the top five.

“My target for a long time was that I was to get into the top eight but there were many reasons that prevented that, so this time I want to step into the top eight or the top five. There’s a good chance now. I feel I can play with the top 10 but sometimes I get unlucky, so I hope I can step up. It’s a good start.”

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