Badminton
BWF World C'ships: Ayush Shetty stuns world No. 1 Shi Yuqi
The 21-year-old survived a late scare to defeat the defending champion in a fighting three-game match.
Ayush Shetty defeated world no.1 Shi Yuqi. (Photo Credits: JioHotstar/Screengrab)
The rising star Ayush Shetty registered one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, knocking out world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the first round of the BWF World C'ships in New Delhi on Monday.
The 21-year-old defeated defending champion Chinese shuttlers in three games, 21-14, 13-21, 21-19, in an exciting 73-minute-long match in the men's singles round of 64.
This was Ayush's first win over Shi in their fourth meeting, avenging his loss against him in the final of the Asian Championships earlier this year.
After a solid first game, where Ayush dominated the rally and showcased a quality defensive display to rattle Shi on his attacking front and clinched the first game.
Shi came back in the second game with a different approach, keeping the shuttle near the net and taking down the body smash whenever he got a high lift.
In the final game, Ayush looked comfortable for a big win, having a 17-6 lead. But then he lacked composure under pressure from the quality player.
Shi closed out the deficit to just 1 point, trailing 19-20 in the final game, but then Ayush won the final point and clinched the match by 21-19.
More to follow...