BWF World Championships 2025 Day 1 Highlights: Lakshya Sen bows out after straight games defeat

Hello and welcome to Khel Now’s live blog for the BWF World Championships 2025 Day 1. Please wait for the blog to load!

One of India’s biggest medal hopes at BWF World Championships 2025, Lakshya Sen will begin his campaign against World No. 1 Shi Yuqi on August 25 (Monday).

Sen became the first Indian to reach the Paris 2024 Olympics badminton men’s singles semi-finals; however, he missed out on a medal after losing to Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match.

The 23-year-old is a bronze medalist at the World Championships, a gold medalist at the Thomas Cup, a silver medalist at the Asian Games, and a gold and silver medalist at the Commonwealth Games.

Also Read: BWF World Championships 2025: Updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

Throughout his career, Sen has consistently challenged the world’s top players and won titles such as the Canada Open and the Syed Modi International.

Currently ranked World No. 17, he showed his consistency on the biggest stages, winning a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships to prove he knows how to rise to the top at the sport’s major events.

After a break of one year due to the scheduling constraints posed by the Olympics, the BWF World Championships will be played in the same city which hosted the quadrennial extravaganza in 2024.

One of the most awaited tournaments in the calendar, the World Championships have previously produced moments which have remained etched in sporting history. This is an event which every shuttler aspires to win, and one which separates the good players from the greats.

Also Read: Lakshya Sen’s projected path to BWF World Championships 2025 final

The best players in the world will be in action, across all five sections. In the men’s singles category, Shi Yu Qi will be looking to return to the podium, having last clinched a medal at the competition in 2018.

In women’s singles, top seed An Se Young will be the favourite to retain her crown. However, both shuttlers will have to face stiff resistance enroute.

The Indian contingent returns to a city, which gave them a lot of heartbreaks last year at the Olympics. After a string of poor results this year, they would be looking to make amends in a tournament where the nation has medaled in every edition since 2010.

While the fact no Indians are present in the top eight seedings in any category is a concern, one shouldn’t forget the laurels which have been won by a number of shuttlers who will be in action in Paris.

Lakshya Sen and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty will be the brightest contenders for a medal.

While PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy (the nation’s only medalist at the 2023 edition in Copenhagen) have been a pale shadow of themselves recently, their experience in big tournaments is undeniable. The skill and potential are there for everyone to see, the question is whether they can rise to the occasion.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram