18 August,2026 09:49 AM IST | New Delhi | Neeru Bhatia
India’s Ayush Shetty celebrates his Rd-1 win over World No. 1 Shi Yuqi in New Delhi on Monday. Pics/PTI
In a classic David vs Goliath encounter, 22nd-ranked Ayush Shetty recorded the biggest upset of the day, beating World No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 21-14, 13-21, 21-19. It was the 21-year-old's fourth meeting with the Chinese star, and he finally cracked the code after losing their previous three encounters.
The tall youngster from Karkala, Karnataka, stunned Yuqi with his fine retrievals, court coverage and solid net play. Shetty also displayed aggression with his smashes, which initially left the Chinese with few answers. Yuqi came into his own in the second game, but Shetty raced to an 11-point lead in the decider before overcoming a strong late charge to seal the victory at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.
China's Shi Yuqi
After the match, Shetty said: "Yes, I am feeling great. It's a special win, no doubt. I had prepared for it. I knew it would be a really tough match and I had to be really well prepared. I was mentally prepared."
Shetty, at one stage in the decider, was leading by 10 points before Yuqi made a remarkable comeback to narrow the margin to 20-19 before the Indian held his nerve to seal the contest. Asked what was going through his mind when Yuqi began his late charge in the third game, Shetty said: "I was telling myself to calm down. I was getting a bit nervous because he was really catching up and the momentum was with him. I just told myself to be aggressive."
On his coach's advice ahead of the match, Shetty said: "He told me to enjoy every match. It's a big match. We had a solid game plan and managed to pull
it off."
Meanwhile, Yuqi admitted that Shetty's changes in style had made the difference. "Ayush has made some changes in his style - that made the difference," he said.
Earlier, badminton superstar PV Sindhu began her campaign with a comfortable first-round win at the BWF World Championships. The ninth-ranked former champion defeated much lower-ranked Ireland's Sophia Noble 21-7, 21-11 in a one-sided contest.
India's PV Sindhu during her Rd-1 win over Ireland's Sophia Noble in New Delhi on Monday
"It was really good to get out on the court and I could see a lot of people cheering and supporting me. That gave me a lot of confidence, irrespective of whoever the opponent was. I managed it well and the court conditions are pretty good," Sindhu said after the match.
Earlier, the doubles duo of A Hariharan and MR Arjun advanced to the second round after Irish pair Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds retired hurt while trailing 16-21, 4-6. The women's pair of Teresa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also won their first-round match, defeating Spain's Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-13.
