Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has been seeded ninth in women's singles, while the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received the fifth seeding for the upcoming BWF World Championships. India has seeded entries in four out of five categories, including Lakshya Sen and the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto. The draw for the championships, set to be held in New Delhi from August 17-23, will take place on Wednesday.
Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda, Simran Singhi, and Kavipriya Selvam are set to make their BWF World Championships debut as India hosts the prestigious badminton event after 17 years, offering a significant platform for these rising stars.
Lakshya Sen suffered a shock second-round exit at the BWF World Championships after losing to USA's 18-year-old Garret Tan in a thrilling three-game contest in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is set to chase an unprecedented sixth medal at the BWF World Championships, which are returning to India after 17 years, beginning in New Delhi on Monday. Sindhu, already a five-time World Championships medallist, is high on confidence after winning the Japan Open Super 750 last month.
Indian badminton stars Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty are preparing for the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. Sen, a former bronze medallist, aims for a deep run despite an inconsistent year, while the doubles pair focuses on adapting to court conditions. Rising star Ayush Shetty faces a tough opening challenge against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi, with all players expressing excitement about playing in front of a home crowd and noting improved venue conditions.
Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen continued to be the best-placed Indian at number seven while former world no. 1 Kidambi Srikanth gained a rung to the 11th position.
PV Sindhu jumped two places to grab the ninth spot, while former World No. 1 Saina, who is on a comeback trail after recovering from a serious injury, slipped five places to 11th spot.
Ace Indian shuttler H S Prannoy came agonisingly close to pulling off a major upset before bowing out of the BWF World Championships with a gruelling second-round loss to world No. 2 Anders Antonsen of Denmark.
India's PV Sindhu remains the only Indian player to have won the prestigious BWF World Tour Finals in 2018.
The 21-year-old Sen, who won a bronze in the 2021 World Championships, has been in brilliant form, starting the year with a gold medal at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open before finishing runner-up, at the prestigious All England Open Championships and also at the German Open.
Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha has advanced to her maiden BWF World Tour singles final at the Korea Masters Super 300, defeating compatriot Rakshitha Ramraj. Chaliha, returning from injury, will now face China's Han Qianxi for the title, marking a significant achievement for Indian badminton.
Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha defeated compatriot Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj to reach her first-ever BWF World Tour final at the Korea Masters Super 300. Chaliha, returning from a knee injury, continued her impressive run, having previously upset the top seed.
Sindhu is the only Indian to feature in the women's singles competition.
In women's singles, Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and 2019 world champion, will have to recover from the shock defeat against fellow Indian Unnati Hooda at the China Open.
As New Delhi prepares to host the BWF World Championships from August 17-23, 2026, five young talents - Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda, Alwi Farhan, Tomoka Miyazaki, and Kalyana Nalbantova - are identified as potential breakout stars capable of challenging the sport's biggest names and redefining their careers.
This was their third semifinal appearance on the BWF Tour this season, having earlier reached the last four at the Singapore Open and India Open.
World Junior Ch'ships: India off to flying start; Sri Lanka edge UAE in thriller
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu has hailed India's upcoming hosting of the BWF World Championships as a "landmark moment" for the sport in the country.
Japanese badminton prodigy Tomoka Miyazaki, despite an early exit from the World Championships, is leveraging the experience to refine her game and challenge the sport's top players. Mentored by Akane Yamaguchi, the 20-year-old aims for consistent quarter-final appearances to test her skills against the world's best, while also appreciating her growing global fan base.
India's women's badminton team, led by PV Sindhu, secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. This win propels them into a challenging quarterfinal match against hosts Japan, a team boasting several top-ranked players.
In women's singles, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also dropped one place and is now ranked 16th.
French badminton players Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, in mixed doubles, and Alex Lanier, in men's singles, have made history by becoming the country's first world champions in the sport. Gicquel and Delrue defeated the world No. 1 Chinese pair, while Lanier dominated his Japanese opponent in their respective finals.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was defeated by world No. 1 An Se Young at the Indonesia Open, marking her tenth consecutive loss to the Korean. Meanwhile, the Indian men's doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun caused a significant upset, advancing to their first-ever BWF World Tour Super 1000 quarterfinals.
"She will need to be at her best for next year which will have Asian Games and also the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification, playing about 22 tournaments will be tough, so she is taking extra care,"
Badminton legend Saina Nehwal has expressed her openness to entering electoral politics in the future, stating her desire to contribute to India's development and continue serving the nation beyond her sporting career.
Treesa Jolly called her World Championships bronze with Gayatri Gopichand a dream come true, made more special by ending India's 15-year medal wait on home soil.
Indian badminton prodigy Tanvi Sharma, 17, secured her first BWF World Tour title by defeating Vietnam's Thuy Linh Nguyen in straight games at the Taipei Open Super 300, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament's history.
Indian shuttlers handed tough draws, Lakshya Sen to face world No 1 Shi Yu Qi in opener
Sen rallied from a game deficit to defeat Yusuke Onodera of Japan
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and young shuttler Ayush Shetty notched up straight-game wins to progress to the singles pre-quarterfinals.
New Delhi organisers are confident of delivering a 'world-class spectacle' for the upcoming Badminton World Championships, having addressed previous concerns regarding venue cleanliness, air quality, and animal control that marred the India Open earlier this year.
Indian doubles coach B Sumeeth Reddy discusses the emotional journey and struggles of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who secured a historic bronze medal at the Badminton World Championships. He highlights their contrasting personalities, improved rotation, and resilience in overcoming injuries to achieve this significant milestone.
Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri and Gayatri Gopichand also improved two spots to the 17th position.
Indian men's doubles badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy discusses the reasons behind his and Chirag Shetty's unexpected first-round exit from the Asian Games. He highlights the need to improve their mental game and acknowledges their opponents' strong comeback, while Chirag Shetty admits they could have played smarter.
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu shocked World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China to storm into the quarterfinals of the World Championships, in Paris on Thursday.
Former World No 1 Srikanth, who has not won a title at the BWF World Tour in the last 22 months, staved off a spirited a challenge from Ireland's Nhat Nguyen, winning 17-21, 21-16, 21-6 in a match that lasted an hour and six minutes to join Praneeth and Prannoy in the second round.
The India Junior International Grand Prix badminton tournament is set to begin in Pune, featuring 304 players from nine countries, including top junior talents like Dev Ruparelia. The event, organised by the Poona District Metropolitan Badminton Association, offers a total prize money of USD 15,000 and concludes on August 30.
Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced to the second round of the China Open after a tough match against compatriot Unnati Hooda. In a significant upset, Ayush Shetty defeated world No. 11 Alwi Farhan in the men's singles. However, India's men's and mixed doubles pairs were eliminated from the BWF Super 1000 tournament.
Fellow Indian Kidambi Srikanth also jumped two places to sit at the 12th spot, while Lakshya Sen continued to be the best-placed Indian male shuttler at world number 9.
India's Ayush Shetty defeated world number 7 Lin Shi Feng of China in straight games at the Badminton Asia Championships, advancing to the second round.