Lin Chun-Yi, An Se-Young Win India Open Amid 'Dirty' Criticism Over Conditions

Last Updated:January 18, 2026, 17:30 IST

Lin Chun-yi won the India Open men’s singles; An Se-young took the women’s title amid complaints about dirty conditions and a monkey in the stands.

Lin Chun-Yi and An Se-Young (X)

Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi clinched the India Open men’s singles title on Sunday, but his breakthrough triumph came at a tournament overshadowed by criticism over playing conditions that included bird droppings on court and even a monkey in the stands.

The 26-year-old Lin produced a composed performance to defeat Indonesia’s third seed Jonatan Christie 21-10, 21-18 in just 38 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, sealing the biggest title of his career.

In the women’s singles final, South Korea’s world number one An Se-young continued her remarkable dominance, brushing aside China’s second-ranked Wang Zhi Yi 21-13, 21-11. The victory marked An’s sixth consecutive title since the Denmark Open in October and extended her winning streak to 30 matches.

While the badminton lived up to elite standards, the same could not be said for the tournament environment.

Players voiced strong concerns throughout the week, with Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt describing the conditions as “dirty and unhygienic" at a World Tour Super 750 event.

“Everyone is stressed and frustrated by the conditions we are being met with," Blichfeldt posted on social media. “At first, you try to laugh it off, but in the end, it is neither funny nor fair to the players."

Blichfeldt, ranked 20 in the world, exited in the second round.

Issues persisted across multiple days. A semi-final on Saturday was interrupted when debris from a bird’s nest fell onto the court, while visible bird droppings raised hygiene concerns. Television footage also captured a monkey wandering through the stands, adding to the sense of disorder.

Denmark’s world number three Anders Antonsen withdrew from the tournament altogether, citing “extreme" air pollution in the Indian capital.

The criticism comes at an awkward time for India, which is set to host the Badminton World Championships in August, the Commonwealth Games in 2030, and has publicly expressed ambitions to stage the 2036 Olympic Games.

Responding to the backlash, Badminton Association of India secretary Sanjay Mishra sought to downplay the concerns.

“I know there are a few issues," he said. “But there’s nothing that we can’t manage."

For now, however, the India Open will be remembered as much for its off-court distractions as its champions.

(with agency inputs)

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