PARIS - The 2025 BWF World Championships opened in Paris on Monday, bringing the world's best shuttlers back to the 9,000-seat Adidas Arena, the only venue in the city built specifically for the 2024 Olympic Games.
China's top seed Shi Yuqi advanced in the men's singles opening round, joined by compatriots Weng Hongyang and Lu Guangzu.
Shi, who lost in the Olympic quarterfinals at the same venue last summer, overcame India's Lakshya Sen 21-17, 21-19 in a hard-fought 54-minute match. "Every match against Lakshya is intense," Shi told Xinhua. "I had a few hiccups on the key points of the second game and was actually ready for a decider."
Arriving with high expectations after winning three of four BWF World Tour Super 1000 events this year, Shi is aiming to translate his recent dominance into a maiden title at the sport's most prestigious tournament outside the Olympics.
Speaking about his form and the pressure surrounding him, Shi said: "I'm not thinking too much and looking too far ahead - just focusing on winning the next point."
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Weng swept past Australia's Yabe Yu 21-7, 21-12, while Lu outlasted Singapore's Jason Teh Jia Heng 16-21, 22-20, 21-14.
The lone setback for China came as 25-year-old Li Shifeng fell to Japan's Tanaka Yushi. World No. 4 Li let a one-game lead slip and was beaten 21-19, 11-21, 15-21 by the world No. 27, leaving him still searching for a first world championship quarterfinal.
In women's singles, top seed An Se-young of South Korea cruised past Belgium's Clara Lassaux 21-5, 21-8 in just 29 minutes.
China's Chen Yufei, the women's fourth seed, defeated France's Anna Tatranova 21-10, 21-12. Chen, who also exited in last year's Olympic quarterfinals, said returning to the same hall carried extra motivation.
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"I've always thought Paris is a romantic city, but my memories from last year were bittersweet," she said. "Coming back feels like a fresh start, I want to create new, better memories this time."
