Ayush Shetty pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the BWF World Championships, knocking out defending champion Shi Yu Qi in a thrilling three-game battle at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi.
20 in the world, Shetty was up against the world No. 1 and defending champion, with few giving the young Indian much of a chance against one of the tournament favourites. But Shetty produced a performance that matched the occasion, beating Shi 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in a dramatic round-of-64 contest. Court 1 was packed with fans eager to watch the Indian player, and Shetty soon had their full attention. He stayed composed through the rallies and made the most of his opportunities to take the game 21-14. Shi took the game 21-13 to force a decider, leaving Shetty with the enormous task of beating the world No. 1 in the final game. 1, Shetty said he focused on keeping himself calm as Shi began to claw his way back and the momentum started to shift.
Because he was catching up and momentum was shifting, “I was telling myself to calm down… I was getting a bit nervous. The odds were firmly against the Indian shuttler. Ranked No. From the opening point, the home crowd made its presence felt. Every time he found a way through Shi’s defence or produced a winning shot, the noise inside the arena grew louder. Shetty took control of the opening game and quickly put the pressure on the defending champion. But Shi was not going to surrender his title without a fight. The Chinese star raised his level in the second game, finding his rhythm and putting Shetty under sustained pressure. The third game lived up to the intensity of the first two. Neither player was willing to give an inch, and the contest remained finely balanced deep into the game. Shetty, however, held his nerve when it mattered most. Despite the pressure of closing out the deciding game against the world No.
I was just telling myself: calm down and be aggressive,” Ayush said after the match.
