Badminton Asia C'ships 2026: Ayush Shetty stuns World no 7; Sindhu survives a scare

Ayush Shetty stunned World no 7 and Asian Games gold medallist in the opening round of the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old defeated the local favourite and fifth seed Li Shi Feng of China 21-13, 21-16 in straight games, sealing the match in 51 minutes.

In the opening game, Ayush fought back early to level at 4-4, with Li holding a slight edge until 7-7. From there, the Indian shuttler seized control, overpowering the home favourite to take the game 21-13.

The second game followed a similar pattern, with Li initially applying pressure and leading into the mid-phase.

Ayush, however, drew level multiple times before shifting gears at 13-13. The youngster surged ahead with six consecutive points, closing out the match 21-16 in 51 minutes. 

This was the first meeting between the two players, and with this win, Ayush has now set up a clash with World No. 20 Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei in the round of 16.

In women's singles, Malvika Bansod lost to Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 10-21, 19-21 in 41 minutes, exiting the championships in the first round. 

On the other hand, the star shuttler PV Sindhu survived an early scare to defeat the much lower-ranked Ling Ching Wong of Malaysia in the first round.

In the topsy-turvy deciding game, Sindhu edged past the youngster, winning the last three consecutive points and set up a pre-quarterfinals clash with second seed Wang Zhi Yi.

Later in the day, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy and Tanvi Sharma will also kick off their campaign.

More to follow...