Ratchanok, Nitchaon get 1st-round byes
Thai ace Ratchanok Intanon was handed a first-round bye at the BWF World Championships following yesterday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur.
The tournament will be held in Nanjing, China from July 30-Aug 5.
World No.4 Ratchanok will meet Russia’s Natalie Perminova or Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark in the second round of the women’s singles.
The 23-year-old Thai, who won the world title in 2013, could meet India’s Saina Nehwal in the last 16 round with the world No.10 also getting a first-round bye.
World No.11 Nitchaon Jindapol will begin her campaign in the second round against the Netherlands’ Soraya de Visch Eijbergen or Maria Ulitina from Ukraine.
Busanan Ongbamrungphan will face Jamie Hsu of the US with Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain awaiting the winner in the second round.
Pornpawee Chochuwong was drawn to meet Hong Kong’s Yip Pui Yin in the opening round.
Top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan, winner of four events this year, enjoyed a bye in the first round and could meet American Beiwen Zhang in the third round.
Reigning champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan could face either compatriot Aya Ohori or Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei in the third round.
In the men’s singles, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei can expect a bumpy start to his quest for a first world title when he tackles Brice Leverdez in the opening round.
The second seed was stunned by the Frenchman at the same stage of last year’s World Championships for Lee’s earliest exit from the event following a series of silver medal-winning performances.
Reigning world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark is slated to face Olympic gold medallist Chen Long of China in the quarter-finals.
Chinese duo Shi Yuqi and Lin Dan may run into each other in the third round.