New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): The Indian medal hopefuls have been handed a tough draw for the BWF World Championships 2026 to be performed on the Indira Gandhi Stadium right here from August 17-23, with Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty pitted towards defending champion and high seed Shi Yuqi of China within the males’s singles opening spherical.
Among the opposite Indians, former world champion PV Sindhu will open her marketing campaign towards world quantity 141 Sophia Nobel of Ireland whereas 2022 world championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen will face Collins Valentine Filimon of Austria within the males’s singles first spherical and will face second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand within the pre-quarterfinals, as per a press launch from the Badminton Association of India (BAI).
In the boys’s doubles draw, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have a bye within the opening spherical and can play the winners of the match between Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle of Scotland and Thailand’s Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga.
India is internet hosting the BWF World Championships after a niche of 17 years, and the stay draw befell within the nationwide capital on Wednesday. Speaking on the event, Badminton Association of India normal secretary Sanjay Mishra stated, Over Rs 20 crore have been spent on refurbishing the Indira Gandhi Multipurpose Indoor Stadium for the Championships and is assured that the internet hosting of the occasion will set new requirements for world badminton.’
While India is aiming to win a number of medals on their dwelling turf, all eyes could be on five-time world championships medallist PV Sindhu, who has struck kind within the run-up to the Championships by successful the Japan Open final month.
Sindhu has managed to keep away from the likes of world primary An Se Young of South Korea and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan earlier than the medal rounds. Though positioned in the identical half as Young, Sindhu is prone to meet China’s third seed Wang Zhi Yi within the pre-quarterfinals with a attainable final eight conflict towards sixth seed Putri Wardani of Indonesia.
For Satwik and Chirag, the primary actual problem is anticipated to come back from the Twelfth-seeded Indonesian pair of Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin, who reached the finals of the Indonesia Open in June this yr.
Speaking instantly after the draw ceremony, chief coach Pullela Gopichand identified that the boys’s singles class was some of the open occasion when it comes to the variety of gamers who might go on to win the title. ‘Overall it seems to be like an excellent draw from an Indian perspective. It will likely be a giant first spherical conflict between Shi Yuqi and Ayush Shetty, and given Ayush’s attacking recreation it’s higher to play Shi first up than later within the match,’ he added.
Ayush has misplaced to the reigning world champion in all their three conferences however has run the Chinese shut after they met earlier within the draw.
Among the opposite Indians in fray, Unnati Hooda will face Thet Htar Thuzar of Myanmar within the opening spherical with a attainable conflict towards thirteenth seed Michelle Li of Canada within the second spherical.
In blended doubles, Fifteenth-seeded Indian mixture of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have a bye within the opening spherical and their first actual take a look at might come within the spherical of 16 the place they’re prone to face sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui of China.
Their compatriots Rohan Kapoor and G Ruthvika Shivani will likely be up towards Canada’s Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai, with high seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China ready for them within the second spherical.
In the ladies’s doubles, two-time All England semi-finalists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will likely be up towards Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez of Spain within the first spherical, with USA’s sixteenth seeds Lauren Lam and Allison Lee ready for them within the second spherical.
Debutants Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam will kick off their marketing campaign towards Nikol Carulla and Carmen Jimenez of Spain, and in the event that they clear that hurdle then they are going to face five-time European champions Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva within the second spherical.
The second Indian males’s doubles pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan are additionally within the second half of the draw and can kick off their marketing campaign towards Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds.
While the conflict between Ayush and Shi might be the marquee males’s singles conflict within the opening spherical, Scotland’s Kristy Gilmour, the reigning European Champion, will face off towards fifth seed Han Yue of China whereas former India Open winner Beiwen Zhang will likely be up towards Wang Zhi Yi within the ladies’s singles opening spherical. (ANI)