Paris, France – Indian shuttlers are set for a challenging road ahead at this month’s Badminton World Championships in Paris, with the draw ceremony on Wednesday indicating that massive upsets will be required to secure a podium finish. The 2025 edition of the event, running from August 25 to 31, returns to the French capital just over a year after it hosted the Olympics, where Lakshya Sen’s fourth-place finish was India’s best result. India last concluded a World Championships without a medal in Paris back in 2010.
Men’s Singles: Tough Openers for Sen and Prannoy
In Men’s Singles, India’s hopes rest on Lakshya Sen (World No. 21) and H.S. Prannoy (World No. 34).
- Lakshya Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, faces an immediate formidable challenge in the opening round against top-seeded Chinese player Shi Yu Qi, the reigning Asian Games gold medallist. While Sen famously defeated Shi in the men’s team final at the Hangzhou Asiad, Shi has since won all three subsequent encounters between the two.
- H.S. Prannoy, a bronze medallist from the 2023 World Championships, will begin his campaign against Finland’s World No. 49 Joakim Oldorff. A victory for Prannoy in this match could potentially lead to a tough second-round clash against second-seeded Dane Anders Antonsen.
Women’s Singles: Sindhu Carries India’s Sole Hope
P.V. Sindhu, India’s most decorated shuttler at the World Championships with one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals, is the country’s sole representative in the Women’s Singles category this year. The 30-year-old, who made history in 2019 as India’s first and only World Champion, will start against Bulgarian World No. 66 Kaloyana Nalbantova. A potential round-of-16 clash looms large for the two-time Olympic medallist against second-seeded Chinese player Wang Zhi Yi, a two-time Asian Championships gold medallist.
Men’s Doubles: Rankireddy/Shetty Face Demanding Path
India’s top Men’s Doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who earned a bronze medal at the 2022 edition in Tokyo, have received a first-round bye. Their round-of-32 match will be against the winner of an all-Indian clash between Hariharan Amsakarunan/Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi and Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng/Yang Po Han.
World No. 9 Satwik and Chirag find themselves in a particularly challenging section of the draw. Their potential round-of-16 opponents are China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang (World No. 6), a pair that, like the Indians, has previously been ranked World No. 1 and also holds a World Championships bronze medal (Copenhagen, 2023). Liang and Wang, who secured a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, currently lead the head-to-head record against the Indians 6-2.
Should Satwik and Chirag navigate past the formidable Chinese duo, a potential quarterfinal clash awaits against former world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia. The second-seeded Malaysians shattered India’s Olympic medal hopes in Paris last year, beating them in the quarterfinals. They hold a dominating 11-3 head-to-head advantage over Satwik and Chirag, including recent wins in the semifinals of the Singapore Open and the China Open this season.
Women’s and Mixed Doubles: New Faces and Tough Draws
In Women’s Doubles, India’s top-ranked pair, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, have withdrawn from the event. India will be represented by Priya Konjengbam/Shruti Mishra and Rutaparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda.
- World No. 39 Priya and Shruti will face Frenchwomen Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante in their opening match. A win could set up a challenging second-round encounter against World No. 4 Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea.
- The Panda sisters, ranked 38th in the world, will take on the Stoeva sisters, Gabriela and Stefani, from Bulgaria in the first round. The winners will then face Malaysia’s World No. 18 Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing in the round of 32.
In Mixed Doubles, India’s top-ranked pair, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto (World No. 17), have received a first-round bye. Their campaign will begin against either Ireland’s Joshua Magee and Moya Ryan or USA’s Linden Wang and Eva Wang. World No. 33 Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde will start their tournament against Leong Iok Chong and Weng Chi Ng of Macau, China, in the first round.
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