5 Women's Singles Players To Watch At BWF World Championships In New Delhi
Top contenders gear up for badminton's biggest stage.
New Delhi is set to host the BWF World Championships from August 17 to 23, bringing together the world's top badminton players for one of the sport's most prestigious tournaments. The women's singles competition is expected to be among the biggest attractions, featuring Olympic champions, former world number ones and multiple world champions. With several players arriving in top form, fans can expect a highly competitive battle for the coveted title.
Leading the field is South Korea's An Se Young, who enters the tournament as one of the strongest favourites. The reigning Olympic champion became South Korea's first women's singles world champion in 2023 before winning the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She completed the career Grand Slam by claiming the Badminton Asia Championships title in 2026 and has established herself as one of the dominant players in world badminton.
China's Wang Zhi Yi and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi will also be among the top contenders. Wang, a former world number one, captured the All England Open title in 2026 after winning the Badminton Asia Championships in 2025 and will be aiming for her maiden World Championships crown. Yamaguchi, meanwhile, is one of the most successful players in the tournament's history, having won three world titles in 2021, 2022 and 2025. Her experience and consistency make her a formidable opponent for every player in the draw.
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India's biggest hope will once again be PV Sindhu, who remains the country's only badminton world champion in women's singles after winning the title in 2019. A five-time World Championships medallist and two-time Olympic medallist, Sindhu heads into the tournament with renewed confidence after becoming the first Indian to win the Japan Open women's singles title in 2026. Competing before home fans, she will be looking to add another World Championships medal to her impressive collection.
Completing the list of leading contenders is China's Chen Yufei, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and former world number one. Chen finished runner-up at the 2025 BWF World Championships and will be eager to secure the only major individual title missing from her achievements. With players such as An Se Young, Wang Zhi Yi, Akane Yamaguchi, PV Sindhu and Chen Yufei in the field, the women's singles competition promises to be one of the highlights of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi.
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