# Ayush Shetty draws defending champion Shi Yuqi in World Championships opener 2026-08-07T05:55:17+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet India’s 21-year-old Ayush Shetty will face defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi of China in the opening round of the badminton World Championships in New Delhi from August 17 to 23. Shi leads their head-to-head record 3-0. Lakshya Sen will play Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon, while PV Sindhu starts against Ireland’s Sophia Nobel. Unnati Hooda faces Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar. Shetty, Hooda and women’s doubles pair Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam will make their World Championships debuts. Fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have a first-round bye. India is hosting the event for the first time since Hyderabad staged it in 2009. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com - hindustantimes.com Tags: Ayush Shetty, badminton, India, PV Sindhu, World Championships Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ayush-shetty-drawn-against-defending-champion-shi-yuqi-in-opener/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ayush-shetty-drawn-against-defending-champion-shi-yuqi-in-opener/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.