India’s Lakshya Sen is all set to run into world No 1 Shi Yu Qi once again in the men’s singles opening round, as the draws for the prestigious 2026 All England Open Super 1000 was revealed on Tuesday.
Sen, India’s highest ranked men’s singles shuttler, had faced a first round loss at the hands of the Chinese at the 2025 BWF World Championships last year as well.
The world No 12 ranked Indian has lost four consecutive matches against Shi, after having won their first-ever encounter during the delayed 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Ayush Shetty, the other Indian men’s singles shuttler in the fray, will be up against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the opening round.
Meanwhile in women’s singles, former world champion PV Sindhu will face off against a familiar foe in Thailand’s Supanida Kathethong in the first round. If she succeeds in crossing the first round hurdle, Sindhu will likely run into world No 2 Wang Zhi Yi in the second round.
The draw is tricky for Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda as well, with the former having to go up against former Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China to begin the campaign.
Hooda, on the other hand, will have to face off against the experienced Pornpawee Chochuwong.
India’s most successful shuttlers at the All England Open in recent times, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face off against Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto – a newly formed pair but experienced shuttlers from Japan.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, unarguably India’s best bet for a title win, will start against world No 34 Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai of Malaysia in what should be a straightforward battle for the Indians.
In mixed doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila will take on Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde face off against fifth-seeded France’s Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue.
