Top 10 matches to watch at BWF World Championships 2022

With PV Sindhu's withdrawal after a foot injury, eyes will be on Lakshya Sen to make the podium finish.

The BWF World Championships are slated to begin on the 21st of August in the city of Tokyo in Japan. Various world-class badminton athletes will be battling it out on the court for the title victory in numerous categories. This event plays a huge role in determining the rankings and is one of the biggest events in badminton.

The event is already looking like it is going to be a blockbuster. Fans with ruthless smashes and edge-of-the-seat thrilling matches courtesy of the kind of lineup each category has. Indian fans will be expecting a lot from the Indian contingent this time around. This partticularly following the impressive performance in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

Let's look at the top 10 matches to look out for at the BWF World Championship 2022:

10. Loh Kean Yew Vs Anders Antonsen

An extremely exciting possible quarterfinal clash in section 3 of the men's singles category will be the defending champion Loh Kean Yew taking on Denmark's Anders Antonsen, the current third-seed player. Antonsen had to settle for a bronze in 2021 and will be looking to improve his performance in this year's BWF World Championships.

9. Ng Ka Long vs Loh Kean Yew

The third- ound clash between the current World No. 11 Ng Ka Long from Hong Kong and defending champion Loh Kean Yew. Both Long and Yew have shown immense potential even in their brief shuttling careers and the players would have an opportunity to face each other in the third round, provided they each clear the first two rounds respectively. While Long will start off against Heo Kwang of South Korea, Yew will start his title defence against veteran Spanish shuttler Pablo Abian.

8. Kidambi Srikanth Vs Lee ZJ

Kidambi Srikanth has become one of the mainstays of the Indian badminton contingent recently. Last time, Srikanth had to settle for silver as he lost to Loh Kean Yew in the final in Huelva, Spain 2021.

The Indian shuttler will be looking to improve one step further this time around. However, he will have his task cut out, as there is a good chance that he might be up against Lee ZJ of Malaysia in the third round. Lee has been in tremendous form this year, clinching the Thailand Open 2022.

7. Sai Praneeth Vs Choi Tien Chen

India's Sai Praneeth, who became the then first male Indian shuttler to get a bronze medal in 2019 after Prakash Padukone, has a tough challenge awaiting him in the opening round of the tournament itself in the form of Choi Tien Chen, currently ranked fourth.

6. H.S Prannoy vs Kento Momota

H.S. Prannoy, who played a key role in India's victory in the Thomas Cup earlier this year is facing the probability of the stern challenge of facing current World No. 2 Kento Momota in the second round.

While Momota has flummoxed various opponents with his recovery and footwork, Prannoy has also been in good form. The fixture is an interesting one to look forward to.

5. Saina Nehwal Vs Nozomi Okuhara

Saina Nehwal will be making a comeback into the badminton arena. She missed out on the opportunity to go to the Commonwealth Games 2022 due to injury and poor form.

However, a tough challenge awaits her in the form of Nozomi Okuhara from Japan (currently ranked sixth) in the second round. This match will be decided if she clears the opening round.

4. S. Rankireddy/ C. Shetty Vs T Hoki/ Y Kobayashi

A potentially mouthwatering quarterfinal clash in section four of the men's doubles category will be the seventh-ranked pair of Rankireddy and Shetty.

The Indian pair will be taking on the pair of T Hoki and Y Kobayashi of Japan who are the defending champions. The pair of Rankireddy/ Shetty has been in great form, winning the gold medal in the men's doubles at the Commonwealth Games 2022.

3. Akane Yamaguchi Vs Carolina Marin

One of the most electrifying clashes to look forward to in this year's BWF World Championship will be the probable quarterfinal clash in section one.

The match between current World No.1 Akane Yamaguchi and 2016 Olympics gold medalist Carolina Marin (currently ranked fifth). Yamaguchi is the defending champion of the women's singles category in the World Championships.

2. Viktor Axelsen Vs A.S Ginting

Denmark's Viktor Axelsen has been in the form of his life and is currently on a 31-match unbeaten streak heading into the tournament. The current World No. 1 might have his quarterfinal clash in section one against A.S. Ginting of Indonesia. Ginting, who's currently the sixth seed won the bronze medal at the Olympics in 2020.

1. Lakshya Sen Vs Kento Momota

Lakshya Sen has become the poster-boy of Indian badminton after winning a thrilling final to clinch the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. In the tournament, Sen is set to face World No. 2 Kento Momota in the second round ,if both clear their first rounds.

Sen is currently ranked 10th and has improved his games by leaps and bounds over the last year. Fans will be eagerly expecting something special from the 21-year-old.