The creme de la creme of world descended in New Delhi for the 30th edition of the BWF World Championships starting on Monday at the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium.
This will be the second time India hosts the prestigious competition — the first time being in 2009 at Hyderabad.
India have seasoned star PV Sindhu leading a 16-member Indian contingent including the likes of Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda along with doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (left) and Chirag Shetty. Pic/AFP
World No. 9 Sindhu, who won the Japan Open recently, feels upbeat about her game. “Since it’s [the tournament] happening in India, I’m really excited. I hope to keep my confidence from winning the Japan Open and do well here. Having five medals at the World Championships is an amazing journey. Every medal gave me a different kind of experience, and a lot of confidence,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Satwik-Chirag pairing, who have won two bronze medals in past editions, are also looking to make a mark on home soil. “It’s a [big] opportunity for us. We are labelled as medal contenders and since this is our home ground, we would like to go deep in the tournament. It’s a rare opportunity for any player to play at home and we will make the most of it,” said a confident Rankireddy.
Sen reflected on his preparations in the lead-up to the tournament. “I got three to four weeks before the Worlds [to practice]. I have kept working on my physical aspects to be sharp on court,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ayush exuded confidence despite a super challenging first-round clash against World No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi. “I feel prepared [for the match] and I’m at my best. It’s the biggest tournament of my life,” he said.
The other Indians in action include men’s doubles players Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun, while Treesa Jolly and , along with Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi, will feature in the women’s doubles category. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will lead India’s mixed doubles challenge, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde are the other pairing.
One
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are the only India men’s doubles pair to win a medal at the BWF World C’ships — bronze in 2022 and 2025
2019
The year PV Sindhu last won a medal (gold) at the BWF World C’ships