2023 BWF World Championships: All you need to know
The 2023 BWF World Championships is all set to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark from August 21 to 27. All eyes will be on Indian shuttlers like PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Notably, Sindhu and the Rankireddy-Shetty duo have received first-round byes. Here are the key details from the tournament.
Sindhu has won five World Championships medals
Sindhu has won five World Championship medals. Her last medal here was when she snared gold in 2019. She may face Nozomi Okuhara in the second round and if the draw holds, she will have to overcome Ratchanok Intanon. If she reaches the quarters, Sindhu will face World No. 1, An Se Young. She has struggled this year with a 20-18 win-loss record.
In-form Prannoy will look to bring his best game
India's highest-ranked singles shuttler, Prannoy will start his campaign against Finland's Kalle Koljonen, who is ranked 56th in the world. The world number nine may face defending champion, Viktor Axelsen in the quarters. Prannoy won the Malaysia Masters in May and finished runners-up at the Australia Open in August 2023. He has a win-loss record of 26-14 in 2023.
Sen will have to prove his mettle
Sen will start the competition against Georges Julien Paul of Mauritius. The youngster who won the bronze medal in 2021 has seen a lot of ups and downs this year. However, he has bounced back recently. He won the Canadian Open and reached the semi-finals in US and Japan respectively. Sen may face Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the third round. W/L ratio in 2023: 21-15.
Rankireddy-Shetty will look to continue their stunning form
Rankireddy and Shetty have done exceptionally well this year and that's why they are the second seed in the tournament. They have won four titles in 2023 and are the former bronze medallists from the previous edition. Rankireddy-Shetty may face Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the quarters and semi-finals against China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang
Other Indians in action
Srikanth, who won the silver at the 2021 World Championship will start his campaign against 14th-seeded Kenta Nishimoto of Japan. The women's doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have a first round bye and may face Chinese Taipei's Chang Ching Hui/Yang Chin Tun in the second round. Rohan Kapoor and N. Sikki Reddy will be in action in the mixed doubles category.
Some key stats from the event
Akane Yamaguchi is aiming for her third consecutive gold medal in women's singles. Similarly, China's women's doubles pairing of Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifen are also looking to win their third consecutive gold. Rankireddy-Shetty have a 28-8 win/loss record this year. They also had a 12-match winning streak which snapped at the Japan Open. Axelsen will hunt for his fourth World Championship medal.
Here are the key details
This is the 28th edition of the BWF World Championships. No other city has hosted the World Championships more than Copenhagen (5). India are ranked 10th in the medals tally with 13 World Championships medals. However, Sindhu is the only Indian to win gold medal.
