The BWF World Championships opened in New Delhi on Monday with top contenders advancing comfortably through the first round at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Indonesia's third seed Jonatan Christie defeated Germany's Matthias Kicklitz 21-15, 21-14 in roughly 40 minutes to reach the round of 32. India's PV Sindhu, a former world champion, cruised past Sophia Noble 21-7, 21-11 in just 29 minutes and will face Wen Yu Zhang next.
Japanese players also posted strong results. Kodai Naraoka edged a Taiwanese opponent 2-1 in men's singles, while Yushi Tanaka won in straight sets against a Chinese rival. In men's doubles, both Japanese pairs — Takumi Nomura with Yuichi Shimogami and Sho Kumagai with Daiki Nishi — advanced, as did women's doubles pair Kaho Osawa and Mai Tabe. India's Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also progressed in women's doubles.