Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu, KIdambi Srikanth, Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy will have their task cut out at the upcoming BWF World Championships, starting July 30 in Nanjing, China.
The 24th edition of the annual badminton tournament will be played between the last Monday of July and the first Sunday of August with top shuttlers from across the world battling for the world title.
Sindhu starts as the highest-seeded Indian shuttler (3). The 23-year-old, who had lost a marathon final last year in Glasgow, has been handed a first-round bye. She will open her campaign against the winner of the first-round tie between Fitriani Fitriani and Linda Zetchiri.
Drawn in the second half of the women's singles bracket, Sindhu faces an early test against ninth seed Sung Ji Hyun. A repeat of last year's final against Nozomi Okuhara is on the cards as the two shuttlers are expected to meet as early as in the quarter-final.
Sindhu will be heading to China after having lost to Okuhara earlier this week in the final of Thailand Open.
Saina Nehwal handed tough draw
Former world number one Saina Nehwal has been seeded 10th and she has got a first-round bye as well.
The veteran shuttler faces a stiff test as she may meet fourth Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the third-round tie itself. If Saina manages to get past the big hurdle, she will be on course to meet seventh seed and reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin in the quarter-final.
Saina's form since her title-winning run at the Commonwealth Games has dipped and she needs an inspired run to get out of what seems to be a tough quarter.
Women's singles - Predicted quarter-final lineup
- Tai Tzu Ying [1] vs He Bingjiao [6]
- Ratchanok Intanon [4] vs Carolina Marin [7]
- Nozomi Okuhara [8] vs PV Sindhu [3]
- Akane Yamaguchi [2] vs Chen Yufei [5]
Srikanth may face Chong Wei in the last-eight round
Fifth seed Kidambi Srikanth, who has been suffering a title drought in the ongoing year, takes on lower-ranked Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in the first-round.
The world number five hasn't been able to replicate last season's success in 2018 but he will be hoping to impress at the big stage in China.
Srikanth is likely to face either fourth seed Son Wan Ho or counterpart Sai Praneeth in the Round of 16.
If the top-ranked Indian men's singles shuttler manages to get past the initial hurdles, a tough test against Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei awaits him.
Can Prannoy impress?
11th seed HS Prannoy will start his campaign against Abhinav Manota of Australia. He has an easy passage to the Round of 16 but may face either Lin Dan or Shi Yuqi of China in the quarter-final.
Prannoy was sidelined for more than a month due to an injury after the Thomas Cup Finals in May.
On return from the layoff, the world number 11 progressed to the quarter-final of Indonesia Open, beating the Super Dan en route. However, the reigning national champion faced a second-round exit in Thailand.
Unseeded Sameer Verma is also among the four Indian men's singles shuttlers representing India at the worlds. He will face France's Lucas Corvee in the first round.
Last year's Singapore Open winner Praneeth needs to step up if he is to avoid a first-round exit. The 25-year-old didn't even get past the first-round hurdle in Malaysia and Indonesia last month.
Also, the world number 24 has not managed to beat his first-round opponent Son in their four career meetings.
Men's singles - Predicted quarter-final lineup
- Viktor Axelsen [1] vs Chen Long [8]
- Lin Dan [9] vs HS Prannoy [11]
- Kento Momota [6] vs Son Wan Ho [4]
- Kidambi Srikanth [5] vs Lee Chong Wei [2]
