BWF World Championships 2026 draw: Ayush Shetty to face Shi Yuqi in first round; PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen get easy opener
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "BWF World Championships 2026 draw: Ayush Shetty to face Shi Yuqi in first round; PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen get easy opener")
(L-R) Tan Kim Her, Pullela Gopichand and Sanjay Mishra Photograph: (BAI)
Ayush Shetty faces world champion Shi Yuqi as PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and India's top doubles pairs got to know their BWF Worlds 2026 draws
India's medal contenders got a mixed draw for the BWF World Championships 2026, set to be held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi from August 17 to 23. The biggest opening-round contest features Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty, who faces defending champion and world no. 1 Shi Yuqi of China. Former world champion PV Sindhu starts her campaign against Ireland's Sophia Nobel, currently ranked world no. 141, while Lakshya Sen will take on Austria's Collins Valentine Filimon in the men's singles first round. If he advances, Lakshya could meet second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the pre-quarterfinals.
India's top men's doubles pair, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have received a first-round bye. They will open their campaign against either Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle or Thailand's Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga. India is hosting the BWF World Championships for the first time in 17 years. The official draw ceremony was held in New Delhi on Wednesday. Badminton Association of India General Secretary Sanjay Mishra revealed that more than ₹20 crore has been invested in upgrading the Indira Gandhi Multipurpose Indoor Stadium, expressing confidence that the event would set new benchmarks for world badminton.
All eyes will be on PV Sindhu, who heads into the tournament in strong form after winning the Japan Open last month. Sindhu has avoided world no. 1 An Se Young of South Korea and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan until the later stages. However, she is projected to face third seed Wang Zhi Yi of China in the pre-quarterfinals, with a possible quarterfinal clash against Indonesia's Putri Wardani. For Satwik and Chirag, a potential round-of-16 meeting against Indonesia's Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin, finalists at the Indonesia Open earlier this year, could be their first significant challenge.
Chief national coach Pullela Gopichand described the men's singles field as one of the most competitive in recent years. He believes Ayush Shetty's aggressive style could make his opening-round clash against Shi Yuqi more competitive than if the two met later in the tournament. Ayush has lost all three previous meetings against Shi but has pushed the Chinese star in their recent encounters, offering hope of a strong performance.
In women's singles, Unnati Hooda will face Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar in the opening round and could meet 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada next. India's 15th-seeded mixed doubles pair, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, also received a first-round bye and are likely to meet China's sixth-seeded duo Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui in the round of 16. Another Indian mixed doubles pair, Rohan Kapoor and G Ruthvika Shivani, begin against Canada's Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai, with top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping potentially awaiting them in the second round.
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In women's doubles, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will open against Spain's Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez. If successful, they are expected to face 16th seeds Lauren Lam and Allison Lee of the United States. Debutants Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam take on Spain's Nikol Carulla and Carmen Jimenez in the opening round. A win would set up a meeting with five-time European champions Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva. India's other men's doubles pair, MR Arjun and Hariharan, begin their campaign against Ireland's Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds.
