Tough Draw for Indian Shuttlers at World Championships; Lakshya Sen to Face World No. 1 in Opener

Copenhagen, August 14, 2025: Indian shuttlers have been handed challenging draws at the upcoming World Championships, beginning August 25, with Lakshya Sen set to open his campaign against world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China.

This will be the fifth meeting between the two, with Shi holding a 3-1 head-to-head lead over Lakshya, who won bronze at the 2021 edition. The 23-year-old from Almora, currently ranked 21, has struggled to regain form since his Paris Olympic semifinal exit, managing only a quarterfinal finish at the All England this season.

Another men’s singles bronze medallist, HS Prannoy, will begin against Finland’s Joakim Oldorff but could face world No. 2 Anders Antonsen of Denmark in the second round.

In women’s singles, PV Sindhu, India’s most decorated shuttler at the tournament with five medals, has drawn world No. 66 Kaloyana Nalbantova of Bulgaria in the first round. However, the two-time Olympic medallist and 2019 champion could run into China’s world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi in the round of 16. Sindhu, ranked 15, has endured a difficult season with early exits, her best result being a quarterfinal finish at the India Open.

In men’s doubles, world No. 3 duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received a first-round bye. They will face either compatriots Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruben Kumar or Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han in the second round. A possible round-of-16 clash looms against world No. 6 Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who hold a 6-2 edge over the Indians. If they progress, Satwik and Chirag could face their long-time nemeses, Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who beat them in the Paris Olympic quarterfinals and lead 11-3 in their rivalry.

Despite tough odds, Satwik and Chirag head into the tournament with steady form, having made semifinals at the India Open, Singapore Open, and Malaysia Open, alongside a quarterfinal appearance at the Indonesia Open.