New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty will take on defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi of China in his opening match as the Indian hopefuls were handed a tricky draw for the BWF World Championships 2026 to be played at the Indira Gandhi Stadium from August 17-23.
Among the other Indians, former world champion PV Sindhu will open her campaign against world number 141 Sophia Nobel of Ireland while 2022 world championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen will face Collins Valentine Filimon of Austria in the men’s singles first round and could face second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the pre-quarterfinals.
In the men’s doubles draw, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have a bye in the opening round and will play the winners of the match between Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle of Scotland and Thailand’s Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga.
India is hosting the BWF World Championships after a gap of 17 years, and the live draw took place in the National Capital on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Sanjay Mishra said, “Over Rs. 20 crore have been spent on refurbishing the Indira Gandhi Multipurpose Indoor Stadium for the Championships, and we are confident that the hosting of the event will set new standards for world badminton.”
While India is aiming to win multiple medals on their home turf, all eyes would be on five-time world championships medallist PV Sindhu, who has struck form in the run-up to the Championships by winning the Japan Open last month.
Sindhu has managed to avoid the likes of world number one An Se Young of South Korea and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan before the medal rounds. Though placed in the same half as Young, Sindhu is likely to meet China’s third seed Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarterfinals with a possible last eight clash against sixth seed Putri Wardani of Indonesia.
For Satwik and Chirag, the first real challenge is expected to come from the 12th-seeded Indonesian pair of Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin, who reached the finals of the Indonesia Open in June this year.
Speaking immediately after the draw ceremony, chief coach Pullela Gopichand pointed out that the men’s singles category was one of the most open events in terms of the number of players who could go on to win the title. “Overall it looks like a good draw from an Indian perspective. It will be a big first round clash between Shi Yuqi and Ayush Shetty, and given Ayush’s attacking game it is better to play Shi first up than later in the tournament,” he added.
Ayush has lost to the reigning world champion in all their three meetings but has run the Chinese close when they met earlier in the draw.
Among the other Indians in the fray, Unnati Hooda will face Thet Htar Thuzar of Myanmar in the opening round with a possible clash against 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada in the second round.
In mixed doubles, the 15th-seeded Indian combine of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have a bye in the opening round, and their first real test could come in the round of 16, where they are likely to face sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui of China.
Their compatriots Rohan Kapoor and G. Ruthvika Shivani will be up against Canada’s Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai, with top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China waiting for them in the second round.
In the women’s doubles, two-time All England semi-finalists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will be up against Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez of Spain in the first round, with USA’s 16th seeds Lauren Lam and Allison Lee waiting for them in the second round.
Debutants Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam will kick off their campaign against Nikol Carulla and Carmen Jimenez of Spain, and if they clear that hurdle, then they will face five-time European champions Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva in the second round.
The second Indian men’s doubles pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan are also in the second half of the draw and will kick off their campaign against Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds.
While the clash between Ayush and Shi will be the marquee men’s singles clash in the opening round, Scotland’s Kristy Gilmour, the reigning European Champion, will face off against fifth seed Han Yue of China while former India Open winner Beiwen Zhang will be up against Wang Zhi Yi in the women’s singles opening round.
–IANS
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