Star Indian men’s singles shuttler Lakshya Sen faces a challenging opening match against top seed Shi Yu Qi, while former champion PV Sindhu aims to overcome her poor form as Indian shuttlers prepare for a tough test at the BWF World Championships beginning on Monday. India’s leading shuttlers have had a difficult year, with injuries and inconsistent form affecting their preparations. Sen, ranked 21, returns to the French capital a year after finishing fourth at the Olympics. The 24-year-old from Almora, who won bronze in the 2021 edition, has struggled with results, with his best performance in 2025 being a quarterfinal at the All England. Sen has often faltered in close matches against Li Shi Feng, Kodai Naraoka and Shi, who leads their head-to-head 3-1. The Chinese world No.1, in excellent form with three Super 1000 titles this season, beat Lakshya in three games in Indonesia earlier this year. In women’s singles, Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and 2019 world champion, must recover from a surprising loss to fellow Indian Unnati Hooda at the China Open. Sindhu, India’s most accomplished shuttler with five world championship medals, starts her campaign against Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova. Sindhu has had a lean season, with a quarterfinal finish at the India Open being her best result. Currently ranked 15, Sindhu could face world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China as early as the round of 16. HS Prannoy, who won bronze in the 2023 edition, begins against Finland’s Joakim Oldorff but may face world No. 2 Anders Antonsen of Denmark in the second round. Prannoy showed his fighting spirit during a narrow three-game defeat to Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei at the China Open, but he will need to win those crucial moments to advance deep into the tournament. Men’s doubles leaders Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded ninth, have a first-round bye and will play either compatriots Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruben Kumar or Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han in the second round. A challenging round-of-16 clash against China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who lead their head-to-head 6-2, awaits them. If Satwik and Chirag overcome this hurdle, they could face long-time rivals Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, who eliminated them from the Paris Olympics quarterfinals and lead their rivalry 11-3. Satwik and Chirag, who won the 2022 bronze, have been consistent this year, reaching the semifinals at the India, Singapore, Malaysia and China Open and the quarterfinals in Indonesia. The Asian Games champions are eager to convert their form into a title triumph in the French capital. In mixed doubles, 16th seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto received a bye in the opening round, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will face Macau’s Leong Lok Chong and Weng Chi Ng. In women’s doubles, Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra, along with the Panda sisters, Rutuparna and Swetaparna, are competing. (With PTI Inputs)