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Sindhu, Ayush Shetty and Sat-Chi Headline India’s Challenge at Badminton Worlds
Indian badminton stars will begin their campaign at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, with PV Sindhu, Ayush Shetty and leading doubles pairs set for opening-round matches on home soil.
Indian shuttlers will begin their campaign at the BWF Badminton World Championships on Monday at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, as the prestigious tournament returns to India after 17 years. The championships are being held from August 17 to 23.
In the women’s singles, former world champion and ninth seed P V Sindhu will face Ireland’s Sophia Noble in the opening round.
The Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand pair will also begin their women’s doubles campaign against Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez.
In the men’s singles, Indian debutant Ayush Shetty faces a major challenge in his opening match as he takes on world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China.
In men’s doubles, fifth-seeded Indian duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have already advanced to the second round after receiving a first-round bye. Meanwhile, M R Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan will face Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds in their opening match.
In mixed doubles, the 15th-seeded Indian pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are also part of the home challenge.
The tournament marks India’s return to the hosting stage for the World Championships after the country last hosted the event in 2009. Indian players are competing across all five disciplines, giving the home contingent an opportunity to make an impact before a home crowd.
