Lakshya Sen could be the dark horse, says Ajit Wijetilekk

India is hosting the BWF World Championship after 17 years, and the shuttlers will be looking to make the most of home conditions at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

India is fielding a strong 16-member contingent. Former badminton player Ajit Wijetilekk believes World no 14 Lakshya Sen could emerge as one of India’s biggest surprises in the tournament.

Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 World Championships, has largely stayed away from the spotlight in the build-up to the tournament. But Wijetilekk feels that could work in the Indian’s favour.

“Lakshya is the one who I feel has been under the radar at this point of time; he's been there quietly. He's a big-match player, he's done so well previously for India, and what I kind of feel is that Lakshya could be the dark horse, could be the one who's probably going to throw a surprise,” Ajit Wijetilekk told The Bridge.

Wijetilekk, who represented the country at the Thomas Cup, expects the venue to bring its own challenges, including the drift. The stadium has undergone a major revamp for the World Championships.

“It's a very big stadium, and there's going to be a lot of drift, and the one who can actually adapt to those conditions is going to do pretty well,” he said.

Wijetilekk is confident that Lakshya can use the conditions to his advantage if he is able to maintain his fitness.

“He's a little fresher; he's probably, if he's in full fitness, he's not been having too much of a workload in terms of the international tournaments; the fatigue factor would be lesser. Lakshya could be the one who probably can make that headway into the medals,” he opined.

Lakshya will face Collins Valentine Filimon in the men’s singles Round of 64. He could then face Thailand’s second seed and former world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the pre-quarterfinals.