Ayush Shetty caused a major upset as he stunned top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China in the first round of the BWF Badminton World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.
The 21-year-old Ayush, making his World Championships debut, recorded a surprise 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 victory over World No. 1 Yu Qi in a thrilling battle which lasted 73 minutes.
It was the first win in four meetings for Ayush against Yu Qi but it came only after surviving a late charge from the Chinese star. Trailing 7-17 in the decider, Yu Qi won eight of the next nine points. He even saved four match points but Ayush got over the line with a deceptive winner.
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World No. 22 Ayush will face either Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama or Peru’s Adriano Viale for a place in the round of 16.
Published on Aug 17, 2026
