Ayush Shetty left the world of badminton in shock at the BWF World Championships on Monday, knocking out defending champion and World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in the opening round in New Delhi.
It was Ayush's first win over Shi Yuqi after three successive defeats, including the crushing straight-game defeat in the final of the Asia Badminton Championships earlier this year.
Roared on by a passionate home crowd in New Delhi, Shetty, in a show of blistering big smashes and terrific defence, recorded the biggest win of his career.
Ayush came out firing from the start and wrapped up the opening game 21-14, but struggled to settle into his rhythm when the two shuttlers switched ends. Playing with the drift in the arena, Ayush Shetty kept pushing them long, and the Chinese World No. 1 did not waste any time to take advantage and run away with the set.
However, in the decider, Shetty, this time playing against the drift, began finding his range, producing winners against Shi, who began to look ordinary. However, Shetty struggled to close out the set and incredibly nearly squandered an 11-point lead before he finally converted his fifth match point to seal his progress to the next round.