“View” Kunlavut Vitidsarn and “May” Ratchanok Intanon, two Thai badminton players, have withdrawn from the “Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2026.”,
On 19 January 2026, developments in the international badminton competition “Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2026” were announced. This World Tour Super 300 tournament, competing for the royal trophy bestowed by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, offers total prize money exceeding 250,000 US dollars (approximately 8.5 million baht). It is scheduled at Nimibutr Arena, National Stadium, Pathumwan, Bangkok, from 27 January to 1 February 2026.
Recently, reports confirmed that two beloved Thai badminton players, “View” Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the world’s No. 2 men’s singles player, and “May” Ratchanok Intanon, world No. 8 in women’s singles and a two-time former champion of this event in 2010 and 2016, have decided to withdraw from this tournament.
The reason for their withdrawal is that both Kunlavut and Ratchanok need to rest and preserve their physical condition after competing continuously since early this year. Their schedule has included the Malaysia Open 2026, India Open 2026, and this week they also have a match scheduled in the Indonesia Masters 2026.
The Indonesia Masters 2026 will be held from 20 to 25 January as a World Tour Super 500 event. May Ratchanok is the three-time champion of this tournament (2010, 2020, and 2025), while View Kunlavut is the reigning champion from 2025. Both players still confirm their participation as originally planned.
Their decision to withdraw from the Thailand Masters is therefore aimed at long-term goals and maintaining peak readiness to compete in upcoming major World Tour events.