New Delhi, The draw for the BWF World Badminton Championships offers both hope and challenge for Indian players. While two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and star shuttler Lakshya Sen have relatively easy opponents in the opening round, Asian Championship silver medalist Ayush Shetty will face a tough challenge in reigning world champion Shi Yuqi of China in his opening bout. India is hosting this prestigious tournament, to be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, after 17 years.

Sindhu eyes sixth World Cup medal

Former world champion PV Sindhu will begin her campaign against world number 141 Sophia Noble of Ireland. Sindhu will enter the tournament aiming to win her record sixth World Championship medal. The draw is considered favorable for him in the initial stages, as he will not face world No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea or reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan before the medal round. However, he could face strong players like third-seeded Wang Zhi Yi of China in the pre-quarterfinals and sixth-seeded Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in the quarterfinals.

Lakshya Sen's easy start, tough test ahead

World Championship 2021 bronze medalist Lakshya Sen will play against Austria's Collins Valentine Filimon in the first round. After overcoming the initial hurdle, he could face second-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the pre-quarterfinals, which is considered one of the toughest matches of the tournament.

Ayush Shetty faces the biggest challenge

Ayush Shetty has received the toughest draw in the Indian team. He will face reigning world champion and top-ranked Chinese player Shi Yuqi in the opening round. The two have played three matches so far, and Shi Yuqi has won all three. However, in recent matches, Ayush has demonstrated his potential by challenging the Chinese player.

Satwik-Chirag get a bye in the first round

Fifth-seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have received a bye in the first round in the men's doubles. They will face either Scotland's Alexander Dunn-Adam Pringle or Thailand's Chaloempon Charoenkittamorn-Worapol Thongsa-Nga in the second round. If they advance, they could face Indonesia's 12th-seeded Raymond Indra-Nicholaus Joachim pair, who reached the final of the Indonesia Open in June.

Gopichand calls the draw favorable for Indian players

Chief national coach Pullela Gopichand expressed satisfaction with the draw, saying that overall conditions are positive for the Indian players. According to him, the biggest match of the first round will be between Ayush Shetty and Shi Yuqi. He expressed confidence that Ayush's aggressive style could give him a chance to pull off an upset, and if he wins this match, the path ahead could be much easier.

Lakshya is now more experienced than before

Gopichand praised Lakshya Sen's progress, saying that Lakshya, who won the 2021 World Championship bronze medal, has become a much more mature and experienced player. He acknowledged that a potential match against Kunlavut would be extremely tough and physically challenging, but due to home conditions and better preparation, Lakshya is expected to perform strongly.

Men's singles medal hopes remain intact

The national coach believes that this time the men's singles category appears more open than before, and no single player is dominating. He said that both Ayush Shetty and Lakshya Sen have the potential to reach the podium. He also listed the Popov brothers of France, Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, and Alvi Farhan of Indonesia as major contenders for the title.

Other Indian players:

In women's singles, Unnati Hooda will face Thet Htar Thuzar of Myanmar in the first round. A win could lead her to a clash with 13th-seeded Michelle Li of Canada in the next round.

In mixed doubles, 15th-seeded Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto received a bye in the first round. They are likely to face sixth-seeded Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui of China in the pre-quarterfinals.

Rohan Kapoor and G. Ruthvika Shivani will face Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai of Canada in the first round.

In women's doubles, Trisha Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez of Spain, while Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam will open their campaign against Nicole Carulla and Carmen Jimenez of Spain.

In men's doubles, the pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan will take on Ireland's Scott Gildea and Paul Reynolds in the first round.