Badminton World championships | India’s home-court intensity the talking point at the Worlds

The badminton World championships will begin here on Monday, with the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium already buzzing with activity as players sweated it out in their final practice sessions. She added that the focus over the last few days had been on training rather.

Former Olympic champion Chen Yufei was still not fully fit after retiring injured against P.V. Sindhu at the Japan Open, allowing the Indian to reach her first final in more than two years.

What Happened

Chen played down preparing for any one rival, saying she would focus on each match. Sindhu has also proved a particularly difficult opponent for Chinese players at the World championships.

• The tournament, which runs until August 23, marks the return of the event to India for the first time since 2009.

• “It’s better than the last match but I think it’s not 100%,” she said.

• That approach could be tested later in the tournament against An Se-young, with whom she has been battling since 2018.

Key Details

They spoke of the importance of playing together, saying they “motivate each other” and quickly move on after mistakes. Their history with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty makes the potential quarterfinal intriguing.

• Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang are still chasing their first crown, having won bronze in 2023.

• Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

• If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments.

Why It Matters

The Liang-Wang duo had won four straight times against them before the Indians finally won in Paris last year, only for the Chinese pair to respond with a victory at the World Tour Finals. On the practice courts, the intensity was evident.

• If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles.

• We have migrated to a new commenting platform.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by The Hindu as more details emerge