Sindhu and Satwiksairaj–Chirag lead India as Badminton World Championships open in New Delhi
New Delhi — The Badminton World Championships start on Monday in New Delhi, and India’s challenge is focused on P.V. Sindhu and the men’s doubles partnership of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
The last time India hosted the event in 2009 the country had only one medal in the tournament’s history, and since 2011 India has not gone without a medal in the 11 editions starting 2011. Sindhu, who holds five World Championships medals including the lone Indian gold, is seeded ninth and will open against world No. 141 Sofia Nobel of Ireland; the 31-year-old is appearing at her 10th Worlds and her 2019 gold was also her most recent medal at the championships.
Sindhu could encounter China’s Wang Zhi Yi, Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia and top-ranked An Se Young of Korea on her route through the draw, and she arrives after clinching the Japan Open Super 750 crown last month. “I think winning the Japan Open gave me a lot of of confidence. Having five medals is an amazing journey...each gave me a different kind of experience. I think the transition has been wonderful. When I lost the 2017 World championships (to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the final), I was very hard on myself... And there were times where I’ve lost where I was leading. These are some of the moments that made me stronger,” Sindhu admitted on the eve of the competition.
Asian Games gold medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are aiming to move past recent injury woes and add to their collection, and the top Indian men’s doubles pair have received a bye in the opening round.
Defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan will be looking to become the first women’s singles player to win four golds, going past Spain’s Carolina Marin. Indian youngster Ayush Shetty, making his debut in the showpiece, takes on defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi on Monday; the 21-year-old is seeking a first win in four meetings against the Chinese and said, “I think it is tough in whichever round you are playing Shi. I hope it will be great match.” Lakshya Sen will begin against Collins Filimon of Austria on Tuesday and is likely to run into former champion Thai Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the pre-quarterfinals.
Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh have been promoted to the mixed doubles main draw. Indians scheduled to play include Men: Singles: Ayush Shetty vs. Shi Yuqi (Chn); Doubles: M.R. Arjun & Hariharan Amsakarunan vs. Scott Guildea & Paul Reynolds (Ire). Women: Singles: P.V. Sindhu vs. Sofia Nobel (Ire); Doubles: Treesa Jolly & Gayatri Gopichand vs. Paula Lopez & Lucia Rodriguez (ESP); Kavipriya Selvam & Simran Singhi vs. Nikol Carulla & Carmen Maria Jimenez (Esp).
India’s campaign opens with multiple first-round matches on Monday, including Sindhu’s tie against Sofia Nobel and Ayush Shetty’s meeting with Shi Yuqi, while Lakshya Sen’s match against Collins Filimon is scheduled for Tuesday.