Sindhu, Saina get first-round byes at World Championships

Rio-Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu and former world number one Saina Nehwal have received first- round byes at the World Championships starting in Glasgow, Scotland from August 21.

Sindhu will open her campaign against either Korea's Kim Hyo Min or Egypt's Hadia Hosny in the second round and is likely to meet China's Sun Yu for a place at the quarterfinals.

On the other hand, 2015 World Championship silver medallist Saina will take on the winner of the match between Switzerland's Sabrina Jaquet and Ukraine's Natalya Voytsekh and is expected to clash with Korean second seed Sung Ji Hyun for a place in the pre- quarterfinals.

Fifth-ranked Sindhu has been seeded fourth for the tournament below Rio Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin while, Saina, currently ranked 16, has been seeded 12th.

Another Indian women shuttler in the fray, national champion Rituparna Das will meet Finland's Airi Mikkela in the opening round, while Tanvi Lad will lock horns with England's Chloe Birch.

India's top male shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, who clinched two successive titles at Indonesia and Australia and reached the finals at Singapore Open, has been seeded eighth for the tournament.

Ajay Jayaram has been seeded 13th, B Sai Praneeth has been seeded 15th, while world No. 28 Sameer Verma will begin his campaign as an unseeded player.