Who Will Lakshya Sen Face in the BWF World Championships Opener?

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 13 (NationPress) Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen is set to encounter a formidable opponent in his first match at the Badminton World Championships, as he faces off against the top seed, Shi Yu Qi from China. The match draws for this prestigious event, happening in Paris from August 25 to 31, were unveiled on Wednesday.

Shi has claimed three BWF World Tour Super 1000 titles this season, positioning him as a prime candidate for his inaugural World Championships gold medal. The 2021 bronze medallist, Sen, who finished fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last year, is expected to present a tough challenge to the top seed, especially considering their historical matchup record of 1-3. Their most recent encounter at the Indonesia Open 2025 in June was a nail-biter that went the distance.

On the lower section of the men's singles draw, H.S. Prannoy, a bronze medallist from the 2023 World Championships, will kick off his journey against Joakim Oldorff, world No. 49 from Finland, with a possible second-round showdown against second seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark.

PV Sindhu, a former champion and two-time Olympic medallist, is the only Indian competitor in the women's category. She will take on Kaloyana Nalbantova of Bulgaria, ranked world No. 66, in her first match and might face Letshanaa Karupathevan from Malaysia in the second round. However, she could encounter a significant challenge in the quarterfinals against second seed Wang Zhi Yi from China.

India's premier doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded ninth, have received a bye in the opening round. They will potentially compete against fellow Indians Hariharan Amsakarunan-Ruben Kumar or the Taiwanese duo of Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han in the second round. A quarterfinal match could see them up against the second-seeded Malaysian pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

Shetty and Rankireddy made history as the first Indian duo to earn a medal in the men’s doubles category at the Badminton World Championships, clinching a bronze in Tokyo 2022.

In the women's doubles, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will go up against Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva from Bulgaria, while Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra will face the French pair of Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante in their initial match.

In mixed doubles, the world No. 17 pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have also received a bye in the first round, while another Indian duo, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde, will take on Ng Weng Chi and Leong Iok Chong from Macau.

India has an impressive total of 14 medals at the BWF World Championships, comprising one gold, four silver, and nine bronze, and has maintained a streak of at least one medal at every championship since 2011.