BWF World Championships 2025 Draw Revealed: Lakshya Sen to begin against Shi Yuqi; Satwik-Chirag, Dhruv-Tanisha receive opening-round bye

India last finished without a medal at BWF World Championships in the 2010 edition.

Five-time medallist, PV Sindhu, will begin her campaign at BWF World Championships 2025 against Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova while 2021 bronze medallist and compatriot, Lakshya Sen, will face China’s Shi Yuqi in the men’s singles opening round when the event gets underway later this month.

The draw ceremony for the Badminton World Championships was held on Wednesday, with the tournament scheduled to be played from August 25 to 31 in Paris.

Despite a difficult draw, Indian shuttlers will look to continue the nation’s medal streak in the competition, which has seen at least one Indian medallist since 2011. However, it won’t be easy as India’s top shuttlers have endured a winless run in the 2025 season so far.

Here’s everything you need to know about the BWF World Championships draw from India’s perspective.

Men’s Singles

For Lakshya Sen, the challenge begins right from the start in Paris. He has drawn top seed and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China in his very first match, as difficult an opener as it gets.

Last time in Copenhagen, Sen ended his campaign in the round of 16 losing to Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 14-21, 21-16, 13-21 in the round of 16.

HS Prannoy will start his campaign against world No. 49 Joakim Oldorff of Finland in what appears to be a winnable first round. But the second round could pit him against second seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark, setting up an early battle against one of the circuit’s toughest competitors.

However, Prannoy knows what it takes to deliver on this big stage. At the 2023 BWF World Championships, he was India’s lone medallist, taking home bronze after a thrilling run that included a shock quarter-final win over reigning Olympic and World Champion Viktor Axelsen.

The #Paris2025 men's singles opener everyone is talking about. 👀Full draw results here 👉 https://t.co/x9PjTO6ew0#BWFWorldChampionships pic.twitter.com/p9QOsHYBrv

— BWF (@bwfmedia) August 13, 2025

Women’s Singles

PV Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medalist and one of the most decorated players in the history of BWF World Championships with five medals including a title, will begin against world No. 66 Kaloyana Nalbantova of Bulgaria.

Sindhu’s opening rounds look manageable, and her record against Chinese opponents at the World Championships has been impressive.

However, the path could get far steeper in the quarter-finals, where a potential showdown with second seed Wang Zhi Yi looms might be awaiting. Given the current form of Sindhu, she will need to find the momentum soon in her Paris campaign.

Also Read: Viktor Axelsen pulls out of BWF World Championships 2025 due to injury

Men’s Doubles

In men’s doubles, like always all eyes will be on India’s top pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The World No. 9 pair have a slightly more favourable start at the BWF World Championships 2025.

They’ve received a first-round bye and will meet either fellow Indians Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruben Kumar or Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han in the second round.

The real test will begin after the early rounds. A potential Round of 16 meeting with Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang may await, and if they clear that hurdle, a quarter-final showdown with arch-rivals Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia could follow.

It was this Malaysian duo that dashed Satwik and Chirag’s medal dreams at the 2024 Olympics, knocking them out in the quarter-finals.

Mixed Doubles

The mixed doubles team of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have also earned a first-round bye. Their second-round opponents will be either Joshua Magee and Moya Ryan of Ireland (world No. 79) or Linden Wang and Eva Wang of the USA (ranked outside the top 120). These draws somehow may offer a good chance to settle into the tournament.

But in the Round of 16, they could face a formidable test against world No. 5 Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong, China.

At the BWF World Championships, team India has won a total of 14 medals in history—1 gold, 4 silver and 9 bronze medals. Five of those medals (1 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze) have been bagged by PV Sindhu, who is also the only Indian to have won a gold medal at the event.

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