Sen, Sindhu face stern test at BWF Worlds

Lakshya Sen will face a daunting opener against top seed Shi Yu Qi while former champion P V Sindhu will look to shake off a poor run as Indian shuttlers gear up for a stern test at the BWF World Championships beginning in Paris on Monday.

It has been a tough year for India’s leading players with injuries and inconsistent form hampering their build-up. Sen, ranked 21, is returning to the French capital a year after the heartbreak of finishing fourth at the Olympics.

Since then, the 24-year-old from Almora, who claimed a bronze at the 2021 edition, has struggled for results with a quarterfinal at the All England being his best show in 2024.

He has often faltered in tight matches against Li Shi Feng, Kodai Naraoka and Shi, who leads their head-to-head 3-1. The Chinese world No.1, in red-hot form with three Super 1000 titles this season, had beaten Sen in three games in Indonesia earlier this year.

In women’s singles, Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and 2019 world champion, will have to recover from the shock defeat against fellow Indian Unnati Hooda at the China Open.

The most accomplished Indian with five world championship medals, Sindhu will begin her campaign against Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova. Sindhu has endured a lean season, with a quarterfinal finish at the India Open her best result.

Now ranked 15, she could run into world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China as early as the round of 16. Prannoy, who claimed bronze in the 2023 edition, will open against Finland’s Joakim Oldorff, but a potential second-round showdown with world No. 2 Anders Antonsen of Denmark looms large for the world No. 34 Indian.

Prannoy showed his trademark fight during a narrow three-game loss to Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei at the China Open, but he will need to win those clutch moments to cross the hurdles and go deep into the tournament.

Men’s doubles spearheads Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded ninth, have received a first-round bye and will play either compatriots Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruben Kumar or Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han in the second round.

A tricky round-of-16 clash against China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who enjoy a 6-2 lead in their head-to-head, lies ahead. If they cross that hurdle, the Asian Games champions could meet old nemesis Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, who knocked them out of the Paris Olympics quarterfinals and lead their rivalry 11-3.

Satwik and Chirag, who won the 2022 bronze, have been consistent this year, making the semifinals at the India, Singapore, Malaysia and China Open and the quarterfinals in Indonesia.

The Asian Games champions are yet to convert their form into a title win — something they will be keen to change in the French capital.

In mixed doubles, 16th seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto received a bye in the opening round, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will open against Macau’s Leong Lok Chong and Weng Chi Ng.

In women’s doubles, Priya Konjengbam–Shruti Mishra and Panda sisters — Rutuparna and Swetaparna — are in the fray.