Indian badminton star PV Sindhu was granted a first-round bye but faces a challenging draw in BWF World Championships 2023 which is set to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from August 21 to 27.
Despite the favourable start, Sindhu faces a challenging path in the later rounds, including potential matchups against strong opponents like Ratchanok Intanon and An Se Young.
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Sindhu has been seeded 16th in the competition and hence could face Japanese ace Nozomi Okuhara in the second round against whom she lost in the 2017 world badminton championships final.
Sindhu's exceptional track record in the World Badminton Championships, including a gold medal in 2019, elevates expectations from her.
However, her recent form has been inconsistent, marked by early exits in several tournaments. The tough draw in this championship will test her ability to shine on the grand stage once again.
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In the men's singles category, Indian players have received promising draws. Notably, HS Prannoy, who has shown consistent form, will lead India's singles challenge and will start his campaign against Finland’s Kalle Koljonen, ranked 56th in the world.
Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth will lock horns against a formidable Kenta Nishimoto, ranked 15th. But the Indian will fancy his chances as he boasts of a 6-3 head-to-head record over the Japanese player.
Lakshya Sen, who is seeded 11th, will face world No. 110 Georges Julien Paul of Mauritius in the opening round.
Meanwhile, the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, ranked World No. 2, also received a first-round bye.
BWF World Championships 2023: Draws for Indian badminton players
Men’s singles
HS Prannoy vs Kalle Koljonen (Finland)
Lakshya Sen vs Georges Julien Paul (Mauritius)
Kidambi Srikanth vs Kenta Nishimoto (Japan)
Women’s singles
PV Sindhu - bye
Men’s doubles
Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy - bye
Women’s doubles
Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand - bye
Ashwini Bhat K/Shikha Gautam vs Cheryl Seinen/Debora Jille (Netherlands)
Mixed doubles
Rohan Kapoor/N Sikki Reddy vs Adam Hall/Julie Macpherson (Scotland)
Venkat Prasad/Juhi Dewangan vs Jones Ralfy Jansen/Linda Efler (Germany)
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