The wait is almost over as India prepares to welcome the world’s best badminton players to New Delhi. With the World Championships returning to the country after 17 years, the Indian contingent will hope to leave an everlasting impact in front of the home crowd. Several Indian players have challenging matches ahead, while some have received relatively favourable draws.
In an exclusive conversation with RevSportz, BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra reflected on India’s chances at the World Championships and said the players have the ability to challenge the best in the world.
“There are some events like the World Championships and Olympics where the players are at the top. But the pressure that they face is also very high. If they can handle that pressure properly, their chances of winning are much higher. Players like Sindhu, Lakshya, who have played such matches before, and Satwik and Chirag have shown what they are capable of. Unnati Hooda is still a junior and is doing very well. So, I feel all our players have the capability to beat any player in the world. Talking about Ayush Shetty, I would like to say that he is a player who gets tougher as the tournament progresses.”
Men’s Singles
India’s rising talent Ayush Shetty will face the toughest possible start as he takes on world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the first round. The Indian has faced the Chinese star three times and is yet to win a game. However, Shetty has already shown his strong potential by winning bronze at the 2023 World Junior Championships and silver at the Asian Championships earlier this year. After early exits in the Japan Open and Round of 16 finishes at the China and Indonesia Opens, he will aim to produce a big performance in home soil.
Lakshya Sen has a relatively better opening draw as he will face Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon in the first round. The 14th seed has not enjoyed the best run recently, with a Round of 16 exit at the China Open followed by early defeats at the Japan and Indonesia Opens. A strong start in New Delhi will be important for Sen, who could face 2023 world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the third round.
Women’s Singles
Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will begin her campaign against Ireland’s Sophia Noble. The ninth seeded is one of India’s biggest medal hopes, having won the World Championship in 2019. Sindhu could meet China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the Round of 16 and Putri Kusuma Wardani in the quarter-finals. She could possibly meet top seed An Se Young in the semifinals. She will enter the tournament after winning the Japan Open and reaching the Australia Open semi-finals.
Unnati Hooda, on the other hand, will face Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar in the opening round. Hooda won their only previous meeting and will enter the championships with confidence after reaching the semi-finals of the Taipei Open. However, she suffered first-round exits at both the China Open and Japan Open. A strong opening match could give the young Indian the confidence in front of home crowd.
Men’s Doubles
Fifth seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have received a first-round bye and will begin their campaign in the second round. The pair recently won the Singapore Open but later retired from the Japan and Indonesia Opens due to Satwik’s recurring right shoulder injury. Their fitness will be closely watched, as they remain one of India’s strongest medal chances.
Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will start against Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds. The Indian pair reached the quarter-finals of the Australia Open before retiring and then they suffered Round of 32 exits at the China and Japan Opens. They will hope to find their best form at the biggest tournament of the year.
Women’s Doubles
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez in the first round. The Indians have beaten the Spanish pair once before and will take the confidence from their recent title-winning performance at the Philippine International Challenge. They also reached the Round of 16 at the US Open before exiting in the opening round of the Indonesia Open.
Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi will face Spain’s Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez. The Indian pair reached the semi-finals of the Saint-Denis Reunion Open and also made the Round of 16 at the Philippine International Challenge. Their recent results show that they can compete strongly but they will need consistency to move forward in New Delhi.
Mixed Doubles
The 15th seeded Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have received a first-round bye. The pair will begin their campaign in the second round after recent Round of 16 and first-round exits at the Japan and China Opens, respectively. They will need to improve their recent form as they can possibly meet China’s sixth seeded Guo Xin Wa and Chen Feng Hui later in the draw.
Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will open their campaign against Canada’s Jonathan Bing Tsan Lai and Crystal Lai. The Indians have beaten the Canadian pair once before which gave them a positive head-to-head record. However, their recent form has been inconsistent as they faced early exits at the China and Japan Opens and a Round of 16 finish at the Indonesia.
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