Top seed in the men’s singles SL class Daniel Bethall, from Chippenham, came through his opening match comfortably, while Liverpool’s Rachel Choong came through her opening three clashes without dropping a game.

However, it was Exeter’s David Follett who claimed the biggest upset so far, beating fifth seed Avni Kertman 15-21, 23-2, 21-17 in the WH1 class.

“Our target coming into the World Championships was to beat the performance in Germany two years ago so we are aiming for a 12-medal haul," said Richard Morris, head coach of England’s Para-Badminton squad.

“I feel with the squad we’ve got and the performances we can certainly achieve this and keep moving the sport forward towards Tokyo 2020.”

Stoke Mandeville, considered the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, will host the Championships until Sunday and more than 200 games were scheduled on the opening day yesterday, and day two today, as the group stages in various categories take place.

The sport will make its Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020 after being added to the programme of sports. 

Related stories
September 2015: Chinese mixed doubles pair win opening two games as country makes Para-Badminton World Championship bow
September 2015: China preparing to debut at BWF Para-Badminton World Championships