Benedikt Duda, Prithika Pavade Withdraw from WTT Chongqing; Lum, Akula Replace Them

Benedikt Duda has withdrawn from WTT Champions Chongqing due to travel disruptions, while Prithika Pavade is out with injury; Nicholas Lum and Sreeja Akula replace them in the draw. The event runs March 10–15 and will still feature top stars competing across the Chongqing field.

Social channels for the tournament carried the same succinct announcement, tagging the competition as part of the WTT Champions of the 2026 season: "WTTChampions of the 2026 season ⬆️ Benedikt Duda has withdrawn from #WTTChongqing due to travel disruptions, and Prithika Pavade due to injury." That post text appeared on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, and used the hashtag #WTTChongqing and the upward arrow emoji.

The original report supplying replacements names Nicholas Lum as the player who will replace Benedikt Duda in the draw, and Sreeja Akula as the player who will replace Prithika Pavade. The replacement language in the report is clear: "Nicholas Lum and Sreeja Akula replace them in the draw." The sources do not specify whether Lum and Akula enter as alternates, lucky losers, or direct main-draw entries, nor do they list draw positions or seed numbers for those players.

Event timing remains set: the tournament runs March 10–15. With the March 10 start date looming, Lum and Akula are now entered in the Chongqing lineup in place of Duda and Pavade, and the field otherwise includes the top stars referenced in the original report. The social posts publicizing the changes did not include the replacement names or the March 10–15 dates, relying instead on the single-line update that cited travel disruptions for Duda and injury for Pavade.

Practical implications for the draw are straightforward: Lum and Akula are the officially named replacements in the draw at this stage, and the tournament will proceed through the March 10–15 schedule with those adjustments. Organizers and social channels framed the move within the WTT Champions branding for the 2026 season, using the hashtag #WTTChongqing and the emoji-packed copy to relay the withdrawals.

With match play scheduled to begin March 10, the updated draw listing Nicholas Lum and Sreeja Akula in place of Benedikt Duda and Prithika Pavade provides a final field adjustment ahead of the event’s opening rounds.