Ayush Shetty pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the BWF World Championships, knocking out defending champion Shi Yu Qi in a thrilling three-game battle at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi.
The odds were firmly against the Indian shuttler. Ranked No. 20 in the world, Shetty was up against the world No. 1 and defending champion, with few giving the young Indian much of a chance against one of the tournament favourites. But Shetty produced a performance that matched the occasion, beating Shi 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in a dramatic round-of-64 contest.
From the opening point, the home crowd made its presence felt. Court 1 was packed with fans eager to watch the Indian player, and Shetty soon had their full attention. Every time he found a way through Shi’s defence or produced a winning shot, the noise inside the arena grew louder.
Shetty took control of the opening game and quickly put the pressure on the defending champion. He stayed composed through the rallies and made the most of his opportunities to take the game 21-14.
But Shi was not going to surrender his title without a fight. The Chinese star raised his level in the second game, finding his rhythm and putting Shetty under sustained pressure. Shi took the game 21-13 to force a decider, leaving Shetty with the enormous task of beating the world No. 1 in the final game.
Home crowd really played its part to a tee
With the pressure mounting, the home crowd once again became a major part of the contest. The cheers grew louder with every point. Shetty eventually won amid chants of ‘Let’s go Ayush’ in the indoor arena.
The third game lived up to the intensity of the first two. Neither player was willing to give an inch, and the contest remained finely balanced deep into the game. Shetty, however, held his nerve when it mattered most.
The support from the stands continued to rise with every point, and Shetty responded with some of his best badminton of the match. He eventually closed out the deciding game 21-19, sealing a stunning victory that sent the arena into wild celebrations.
For Shetty, it was a win that will be remembered for a long time. He had walked onto Court 1 as the world No. 20 against the defending champion and world No. 1. He walked off having produced a performance for the ages, sending Shi out of the World Championships in the round of 64 and announcing himself on one of badminton’s biggest stages.
Shi also acknowledged that Shetty had made changes to his game since their previous meeting at the Asian Championships, where the Chinese shuttler had beaten the Indian. This time, however, Shetty’s adjustments worked to perfection as he turned the tables on the world No. 1.
Despite the pressure of closing out the deciding game against the world No. 1, Shetty said he focused on keeping himself calm as Shi began to claw his way back and the momentum started to shift.
“I was telling myself to calm down… I was getting a bit nervous because he was catching up and momentum was shifting. I was just telling myself: calm down and be aggressive,” Ayush said after the match.
