Sindhu and Lakshya handed favourable openers as Ayush is drawn against Shi Yu Qi in World Championships draw

P.V. Sindhu and Lakshya Sen received relatively straightforward first-round opponents while Ayush Shetty was paired with defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the World Championships draw held in New Delhi on Wednesday. The draw laid out matchups for the singles and doubles events ahead of the tournament.

The singles brackets contain 64 players, meaning there are no byes for seeded entrants, while the doubles competition is a 48-pair event that allows the 16 seeded pairs to advance directly to the second round; the seeded doubles list includes Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Sindhu will open against Sophia Noble of Ireland and is placed in the top half, where she could meet China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarters and Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia thereafter, with a possible semifinal against top-ranked An Se Young. Lakshya Sen will begin his campaign against Collins Valentine Filimon of Austria and faces potential matchups against World No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Christo Popov or Alex Lanier, followed by the prospect of meeting Loh Kean Yew or Victor Lai from the pre-quarter stage onwards.

Ayush Shetty was drawn to face defending champion and World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in the opening round, a repeat of their meeting in the Asian Championships final. That pairing sets a challenging first match for the Indian shuttler at the draw stage. The draw therefore presents a mix of favourable first-round ties and difficult early tests for Indian singles players.

Chief national coach Pullela Gopichand was cautiously optimistic of India’s chances. “I think it’s great to see the World Championships come back to India after 17 years. Having said that, it’s a tough event. We have a couple of tough initial rounds, especially Ayush against Shi Yu Qi. Overall, happy with the way the draw has has come out,” Goipichand said on the sidelines of the draw.

Doubles coach Kim Tan Her said the players were fit but recurring injuries had been a hurdle to sustained success. “Last year, they (Sat-Chi) had eight semifinals and two finals so the results were quite consistent. But what’s bothering them is the injury. Especially for Satwik, his shoulder, it’s on and off. Hopefully this time, he can overcome,” Kim hoped.

The World Championships are scheduled at the revamped Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here from August 17-23. The tournament returns to India after 17 years, with the draw determining opening-round matchups ahead of competition at the venue.