BENGALURU: While the seasoned names faltered under pressure at the Badminton Asia Championship, China, the 20-year-old Ayush Shetty refused to let the ship sink, holding firm with grit and composure. Blending class with consistency, Shetty emerged as the lone spark in an otherwise fading campaign, carrying India's hopes on young shoulders.
Shetty turned the court into a pressure chamber, forcing Chi Yu Jen into a slow, suffocating collapse, sealing it 21-16, 21-12. With a relentless mix of flat lifts, sharp drives, and thunderous smashes, he dictated the tempo from the outset.
"I can beat any top-20 player any day," he said. It sounded bold, but in China, Shetty is turning it into a statement. He has already toppled World No7 Li Shi Feng and outplayed World No 20 Chi Yu Jen, showcasing composure beyond his years. The next hurdle is massive - World No 4 Jonatan Christie. If he clears it, which is also a quarterfinal, the Leo Messi fan will redefine his career trajectory.
Chi, pushed onto the back foot, resorted to safer returns in the second set - but that only played into Ayush's hands. The Indian shuttler owned the rallies, slicing the net with precision and hammering winners onto the sidelines with ruthless accuracy. There were brief flashes of frustration with line calls, but Shetty was in complete control, and Chi simply ran out of answers. Meanwhile, HS Prannoy, 33-year-old, bowed out, losing 12-21, 19-21 to Weng Hongyang.
In the women’s singles, PV Sindhu saw her campaign come to an end in the second round. Facing World No 2 Wang Zhi Yi, the Olympic medallist, went down 21-18, 21-8 in a 46-minute contest. Despite trailing 14-9 early in the opening game, Sindhu showed resilience against the home favourite, mounting a brief comeback to narrow the gap to 18-19 before the momentum slipped away.
Also, Unnati Hooda saw her run end, going down 17-21, 9-21 to Tomoka Miyazaki. Hooda looked drained, struggling to cope with Miyazaki’s sharp cross-court angles during the second set. Her responses grew slower, her movement laboured, and the match slipped away.
HAWK-EYE DRAMA
It was during a critical moment in the second set when Prannoy’s shuttle had originally been declared ‘In’ after landing in the left-back corner of the court, only to be overturned and ruled in favour of the home player shortly after, following Weng's objection. "It's 2026, and I still can't believe there is no Hawk-Eye on Court 2 for a Super 1000 event," Prannoy wrote on social media after a disputed line call during his match against China's Weng.