New Delhi, Aug. 17 -- Brazilian shuttler Jonathan Matias and USA's Beiwen Zhang saw their BWF World Championships 2026 campaigns come to an early end after suffering straight-game defeats in their respective opening-round matches in New Delhi on Monday.

Matias was beaten by Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao 21-19, 21-15 in the men's singles Round of 64, while Zhang went down to China's Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 21-13 in the women's singles.

Despite the defeat, Matias said he enjoyed the opportunity to compete against a high-ranked opponent and remains focused on growing the sport in Brazil.

"It was really good. I have played against one of the top 30 players, and I really enjoyed it. I am just a little sad because I thought that I had the opportunity i...