The BWF World Championships will kick off on Monday in Delhi, featuring top players like Shi Yuqi and An Se Young, alongside local favorite and former champion PV Sindhu.
This marks the first time in 17 years that India will host this prestigious badminton event, promising an exciting opening day for fans.
The tournament will begin at 9 am on Monday, August 17. Viewers can catch all the action on Star Sports and stream it live on JioHotstar in India.
PV Sindhu, who won the championship in 2019, will start her journey against Ireland’s Sophia Noble, currently ranked World No. 141, in the women’s singles first round. Sindhu aims to become the first female singles player to win six medals at the world championships. She is currently tied with China’s Zhang Ning. However, she faces a challenging path, which could potentially lead to a third-round match against third seed Wang Zhi Yi of China and possibly a semifinal clash with Olympic champion An Se Young.
An Se Young, a top contender in Delhi, will start her campaign against Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova, ranked World No. 40.
The Indian matches will kick off with the duo of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun, who are ranked World No. 24. They will face off against Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds from the UK, ranked World No. 102. Notably, all Indian matches on the opening day will take place on Court 1.
Later in the day, Tanisha Crasto and Gayatri Gopichand, who are working to regain their strong performance from last year, will compete against Spanish players Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez.
One of the most anticipated matches will feature Ayush Shetty battling defending champion Shi Yuqi. Although Ayush has yet to defeat Shi in their previous three encounters, he remains determined to leverage his home advantage in this matchup. “It’s the first round for both of us, and it’s going to be tough,” Ayush said. He added, “I’ve worked through some injuries and now feel more confident for this match. I’m focusing on my preparation rather than past performances.”
Ayush trained in the lead-up to the match with PV Sindhu and received guidance from India’s singles coach, Irwansyah.
On the first day of the BWF World Championships, other notable matches include Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singh, who will start in women’s doubles against Nikol Carulla and Carmen Jimenez. Additionally, fifth seed Han Yue will take on experienced player Kirsty Gilmour.
Fans will also be watching Toma Junior Popov, the 15th seed, as he begins his campaign against Polish player Dominik Kwinta. Toma will join forces with his brother Christo in their men’s doubles match against Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami.
On Tuesday, the action continues with well-known players like Lakshya Sen in men’s singles and the men’s doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with mixed doubles pair Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthivka Shivani. Also, Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh, ranked 186th, will join the women’s doubles event with a late entry.
Stay tuned for an exciting start to the championships!
