New Delhi [India], August 16 (ANI): Former world champion PV Sindhu and Asian Games gold medallist Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be shouldering the hopes of Indian badminton fans as they look to build on the country's record of winning at least one medal at each of the BWF World Championships since 2011 when the 2026 edition gets underway at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Monday.
The BWF World Championships is returning to Indian shores after a gap of 17 years, and badminton fans would be hoping that the likes of Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag and the men's singles duo of Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty could go all the way on home turf and start yet another chapter in India's badminton history, according to a press release.
Sindhu, the most successful Indian player in the world championships with one gold, two silver and two bronze so far, is confident of adding another medal to her tally. The 9th seed begins her campaign against world no. 141 Sofia Nobel of Ireland on Monday in the round of 64, and her path to the semi-final looks similar to the last edition in Paris as she is likely to face Chinese's 3rd seed Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarters with a possible last eight clash against sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia.
Sindhu's last World Championships medal came in 2019 when she became the first Indian to win the coveted title. However, the 31-year-old has found her winning rhythm heading into the tournament, clinching the Japan Open Super 750 crown in July.
"This World Championships is very special for me because it is happening in India. I haven't won a medal in the championships for seven years, but my confidence has received a boost after the Japan Open win and I am hopeful of winning one more medal here," said Sindhu, who watched the 2009 edition of the World Championships from the stands in Hyderabad.
While Sindhu will be looking to clinch her second crown, defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan will be looking to become the first women's singles player to win four gold medals. Only Yamaguchi and Spain's Carolina Marin have so far won three titles each in this discipline and have played an important role in ensuring that badminton powerhouse China hasn't been able to get their hands on the women's singles gold medal since 2011.
Apart from Sindhu, all eyes will be on the opening-round match between Ayush Shetty and defending champion Shi Yu Qi on Monday. The lanky India shuttler, who won the Asian Championships silver this year, is making his World Championships debut at home and emphasised that playing on familiar turf was special.
"I would say it is the biggest tournament I have played so far. It is a really big tournament for everyone, even for the world's best players. I think it is a huge stage and it is happening in India," he said.
Speaking about his first-round clash against Shi and whether it was better to play the Chinese early on, Ayush said, "I think it is tough in whichever round you are playing Shi Yu Qi. It will be a first match of the tournament for me as well and I hope that it will be great match," said the 21-year-old, who currently has a 0-3 head-to-head record against the world number 1.
Among the other Indians, Lakshya will be opening his campaign against Collins Filimon of Austria on Tuesday, while Satwik and Chirag have a bye in the opening round.
Lakshya, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday, is drawn to face second seed and former champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the pre-quarters.
Meanwhile, India's Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh were promoted to the mixed doubles draw from the mixed doubles and will play Turkey's Emre Sonmez and Yasemen Bektas.
Japan's Riko Gunji and Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan also earned promotion in the women's singles draw after Singapore's Yeo Jia Min and Spain's Clara Azurmendi withdrew after the draw was made. (ANI)
BWF World Championships 2026: Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya look to make home outing memorable
