India’s hopes of maintaining their streak of winning at least one medal at the World Championships since 2011 may take a hit this year, as several star players have been handed challenging draws at the world meet.
The doubles pair and former World No. 1 combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty carry much of the nation’s hopes for success at the prestigious event, which will be held from 25 to 31 August at the Adidas Arena in Paris.
Former bronze medallist Lakshya Sen faces the No. 1 seed Shi Yuqi in one of the most anticipated first-round clashes. Lakshya holds a 1-3 head-to-head record against the Chinese top seed. The two last met at the Indonesia Open in June, where Lakshya lost a hard-fought encounter 21-11, 20-22, 15-21.
Should Lakshya overcome the tough Chinese challenge in the opening round, he is likely to meet 10th seed Christo Popov in the third round.
Meanwhile, 2023 bronze medallist HS Prannoy will begin his campaign against Finland’s Joakim Oldorff. The World No. 34 has endured a difficult season, often failing to progress beyond the second round in most tournaments.
Neither Lakshya nor Prannoy has been seeded this time, with .
PV SINDHU SET FOR TOUGH TEST
The 2019 champion will open her campaign against Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova in what is expected to be a one-sided affair. The 15th seed is projected to face second seed Wang Zhi Yi of China as early as the third round. Sindhu, renowned for raising her game in major tournaments, has amassed five World Championships medals and is aiming for another strong showing. However, she faces a stern challenge against Wang, whom she has not beaten since 2022. Wang arrives in Paris in fine form, having won the China Open Super 1000 in July.
In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag, seeded ninth, have received a first-round bye. However, they could encounter a stiff test against China’s Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang as early as the third round, with a potential quarter-final meeting against second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik looming.
It was in Paris last year that Satwik and Chirag suffered one of their biggest heartbreaks, losing the Olympic quarter-final to Aaron and Soh. The Malaysian pair have long been a stumbling block for the Indians, winning 11 of their 14 encounters on tour.
India will also be represented in men’s doubles by Hariharan Amsakarunan and Rethinasabapathi, who will face Satwik and Chirag if they win their opening match against Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han.
In a significant blow to India’s medal prospects, the nation’s top women’s doubles pairing of Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly has withdrawn from the event.
World No. 39 Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra, along with Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, will fly the flag in women’s doubles. Priya and Shruti open against France’s Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante, while World No. 38 Rutaparna and Swetaparna will face Bulgaria’s Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva in the first round.
In mixed doubles, India will field two pairs. World No. 17 Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have received a first-round bye. The 16th seeds could meet sixth seeds Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong as early as the third round. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will also compete in mixed doubles.
Previous Indian medallists at the World Championships:
- Prakash Padukone – Bronze – Men’s Singles – 1983
- Jwala Gutta / Ashwini Ponnappa – Bronze – Women’s Doubles – 2011
- PV Sindhu – Bronze – Women’s Singles – 2013
- PV Sindhu – Bronze – Women’s Singles – 2014
- Saina Nehwal – Silver – Women’s Singles – 2015
- Saina Nehwal – Bronze – Women’s Singles – 2017
- PV Sindhu – Silver – Women’s Singles – 2017
- PV Sindhu – Silver – Women’s Singles – 2018
- PV Sindhu – Gold – Women’s Singles – 2019
- B Sai Praneeth – Bronze – Men’s Singles – 2019
- Kidambi Srikanth – Silver – Men’s Singles – 2021
- Lakshya Sen – Bronze – Men’s Singles – 2021
- Chirag Shetty / Satwiksairaj Rankireddy – Bronze – Men’s Doubles – 2022
- HS Prannoy – Bronze – Men’s Singles – 2023