Ayush Shetty stunned World no 7 and Asian Games gold medallist in the opening round of the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old defeated the local favourite and fifth seed Li Shi Feng of China 21-13, 21-16 in straight games, sealing the match in 51 minutes.
Despite Li’s strong start in both games, the Indian youngster dominated the later stages to advance to the pre-quarters. In the opening game, Ayush fought back early to level at 4-4, with Li holding a slight edge until 7-7. From there, the US Open 2025 champion seized control, overpowering the home favourite to take the game 21-13.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with Li initially applying pressure and leading into the mid-phase. Ayush, however drew level multiple times before shifting gears at 13-13. The youngster surged ahead with six consecutive points, closing out the match 21-16 in 51 minutes.
This was the first meeting between the two players, and with this win, Ayush has now set up a clash with World No. 20 Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei in the round of 16.
In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod lost to Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 10-21, 19-21 in 41 minutes, exiting the championships in the first round.
Later in the day, Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy and Tanvi Sharma will also kick off their campaign.
More to follow…
