Sindhu and Shetty spearhead India on Day 1 of BWF World Championships in New Delhi

PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty led India’s opening-day charge at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Day 1. Both players were among the Indians scheduled to feature in the early matches of the tournament.

Sindhu arrives at the championships as the ninth seed and already has five World Championships medals; she is targeting a sixth, a feat that would make her the first player in the tournament's history to reach that mark. Her recent Japan Open Super 750 triumph has been cited as a timely boost ahead of the home championships.

Lakshya Sen is another major Indian name in the men's singles draw, although his opening-day opponent does not yet appear among the Day 1 matches listed by the tournament schedule. Sen is the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist and, according to the report, will be looking to make a deep run after a strong season.

Ayush Shetty, aged 21, was drawn against China’s top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi; Shetty has lost all three of his previous meetings with Shi but has shown the ability to push the Chinese star during their encounters. That match was scheduled for around 6:10pm IST and was described as one of the day's most intriguing contests.

In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun begin their campaign against Ireland's Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds. The women's doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were set to face Spain's Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez on Day 1.

A win for Sindhu on Day 1 would keep her on course to pursue a sixth World Championships medal, which, if achieved, would make her the first player in the tournament's history to reach that total.