NEW DELHI: Her confidence renewed, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will chase history as India's established stars and emerging talents look to capitalise on home advantage when the BWF World Championships return to the country after 17 years, with the prestigious tournament beginning here on Monday.
Sindhu, already a five-time World Championships medallist, is chasing an unprecedented sixth medal at the global showpiece, having won two bronze as many silver and a gold in 2019.
Only two other players have won five World Championships medals -- China's Lin Dan, who collected five men's singles golds, and compatriot Zhao Yunlei, who won three mixed doubles and two women's doubles titles.
A semifinal appearance would assure Sindhu of at least a bronze and take her past the five-medal mark, making her the first player in the history of the championships to win six medals.
The ninth seed has been handed a favourable opening round draw against Ireland's 141st-ranked Sophia Nobel and has a realistic route to the last four. Sindhu could face third seed Wang Zhi Yi of China in the pre-quarterfinals and Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani in the quarterfinals, with top seed and Olympic champion An Se Young potentially standing between her and another final.
Sindhu is high on confidence coming into the tournament after winning the Japan Open Super 750 last month to become the first Indian to win the prestigious title.
"I'm looking forward to the World Championships and since it's happening in India, I'm really excited. Hoping I keep my confidence going from winning the Japan Open and do well here. Looking ahead to get lot of support from the Indian crowd and hope I get a medal here," a confident Sindhu said.
India's women's singles campaign will also feature a debutant in Unnati Hooda, who will open against Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar.
The youngster represents the next generation of Indian women's singles players and will be keen to use the event to announce her arrival on the biggest stage.
For fifth seed Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the target will be another podium finish. The pair is already a two-time World Championships bronze medallists, having finished third in 2022 and 2025.
They have received a first-round bye and will begin their campaign in the second round, with a potential route that could take them towards a quarterfinal against China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang and a semifinal against Indonesian duo of Muhammad Fikri and Fajar Alfian.
But the biggest worry will be Satwik's recurring shoulder problem. He has been away from competitive action for about a month after pulling out of tournaments because of the injury, and coach Tan Kim Her has acknowledged that it remains a concern.
Their Singapore Open Super 750 triumph on their return will give them confidence.
India's second men's doubles pair, MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan, will also be looking to make an impression. They will open their campaign against Ireland's Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds.
In men's singles, Ayush Shetty has been handed the toughest possible opening assignment.
The 21-year-old will open against defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi. Ayush has lost all three of his previous meetings to the Chinese, including the Asian Championships final earlier this year, but he has shown that he can trouble the world's best on his day.
Ayush will need perhaps the biggest performance of his young career to produce an upset.
Lakshya Sen, the 14th seed, has a more manageable start against Austria's Collins Valentine Filimon. But the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist will be eager to rediscover his form that carried him to the All England final earlier this year.
His results since then have been underwhelming, and a deep run in front of the home crowd could provide a much-needed boost. A potential pre-quarterfinal against second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand represents the first major hurdle in his projected route.
The women's doubles challenge will be led by Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who open against Spain's Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez.
They will be joined by World Championships debutants Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam, who face Spain's Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez in their opening round.
In mixed doubles, 15th seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have received a first-round bye and could face sixth-seeded Chinese pair Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui in the pre-quarterfinals.
Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, meanwhile, open against Canada's Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai, with top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping potentially awaiting them in the second round.
But the spotlight inevitably will remain on Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya, all of whom have already experienced the pressure of major championships, while Ayush and Unnati represent a younger generation looking to make their mark.
The tournament is also important for India away from the courts.
The Worlds are returning to the country for the first time since Hyderabad hosted the event in 2009. The New Delhi edition is under spotlight after a difficult India Open earlier this year, when concerns over air quality, venue hygiene, bird droppings and incidents involving stray animals attracted considerable attention.
The Sports Authority of India, Badminton Association of India and other agencies have since worked on the venue upgrades and operational arrangements to ensure that the mega-event runs without the disruptions.