Ayush Shetty beats World No. 1 Shi Yuqi 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in World Championships debut

Ayush Shetty beat defending champion and World No. 1 Shi Yuqi 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in his BWF World Championships debut at the IGI Stadium in Delhi on August 17.

Coach Vimal Kumar had asked Shetty to write down "August 17 is a bad day for Shi Yuqi" while the player was preparing for his World Championships debut in Bengaluru, a message the 21-year-old from Karkala in Karnataka carried into the match. The victory was Shetty's first over Shi after three successive defeats, including a straight-game loss in the Asia Badminton Championships final earlier this year. Shetty has often spoken about learning composure from his idol Viktor Axelsen, and that composure was on display in Delhi.

Shetty combined straight blocks to Shi's cross-court smashes with timed big smashes throughout the match, repeatedly following blocks with powerful finishers. He showed particular confidence when playing against the drift, using those blocks and smashes as a regular tactical pattern.

Playing against the drift in the opening game, the 6-foot-4 Shetty produced a display of smashing that wrapped up the first game 21-14. His power and placement in that period unsettled Shi and set the tone for the match's opening exchanges.

After the two players switched ends, Shetty struggled to find cross-court clears and pushed several shots long, allowing Shi to string points together and take the second game 13-21. Shi used that momentum to regain parity before the decider.

In the deciding game, Shetty returned to the better end in the first half, began finding his range and unleashed a sequence of big smashes that helped him take the third 21-19; the vocal home crowd at the IGI Stadium fell silent as the contest reached its conclusion. The win was described in the report as the biggest victory of his career, and the account noted that Shi did not look like the World No. 1 on Monday.

The result came in Shetty's maiden World Championships match and ended a run of three straight defeats to Shi, one of which was a decisive 8-21, 10-21 loss in April; it stands as his first career victory over the Chinese player.