# Ayush Shetty Draws World Champion Shi Yuqi in Opening Round

2026-08-06T10:55:39+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

Ayush Shetty will face defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the opening round of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi from 17 to 23 August. The match repeats their Asian Championships final, which Shetty lost. P. V. Sindhu will play Ireland’s Sophia Noble, while Lakshya Sen opens against Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon. The Hindu reports that Sindhu could meet Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarterfinals and top-ranked An Se Young in a possible semi-final. Sen’s route could include World No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Christo Popov or Alex Lanier. The 64-player singles draws have no byes, while 16 seeded doubles pairs enter the second round. Coach Pullela Gopichand called India’s chances promising but said the event would be tough.

## Coverage

- zeenews.india.com <https://zeenews.india.com/other-sports/bwf-world-championships-2026-ayush-shetty-drawn-against-world-champion-shi-yuqi-indian-medal-hopefuls-face-tough-challenge-3065016.html>
- indiatvnews.com <https://www.indiatvnews.com/sports/other/bwf-world-championships-draws-revealed-ayush-shetty-faces-stern-test-sindhu-lakshyas-opponents-confirmed-2026-08-05-1050479>
- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/sport/sindhu-lakshya-get-easy-openers-ayush-draws-top-ranked-shi-yu-qi-at-world-championships/article71309857.ece>

Tags: Ayush Shetty, badminton, BWF World Championships, Indian badminton, Shi Yuqi
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