Ayush Shetty's 1st Reaction After Beating World No 1 Shi Yuqi At BWF World Championships
Ayush Shetty described his stunning win over defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi as "special", but was quick to stress that the job is far from done at the ongoing BWF World Championships.
Giant-killer Ayush Shetty on Monday described his stunning win over defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi as "special", but was quick to stress that the job is far from done at the ongoing BWF World Championships. Shetty, who became India's first men's singles finalist at the Badminton Asia Championships since 1965 in April this year, continued his giant-killing run by adding Shi to his list of high-profile victims. The 21-year-old had defeated big names like Li Shi Feng, Jonatan Christie and Kunlavut Vitidsarn en route to a silver medal at the continental championships in April. Shetty, who won the 2025 US Open Super 300, defeated Shi 21-14 13-21 21-19 in a gripping first round men's singles contest.
"I think I'm feeling great. It's a really special win. I'm super happy with the way I played today. I knew it would be a really tough match and I really had to work very hard. I was mentally prepared physically as well," the 21-year-old from Mangaluru said after the biggest win of his short career.
Shetty at one point was leading by 10 points in the final game before Shi made a remarkable comeback to narrow the margin to 20-19 but the Indian kept his nerves and sealed the contest.
"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. Everything I did, he somehow managed to get through it. So I was just telling myself to calm down and be aggressive," he said.
"He (my coach) told me to enjoy every point. It's a really great match and in the home soil, playing was a really great opportunity for me. I think we had a solid game plan and somehow managed to pull it off." He said drift was no an issue on Monday as compared to the training sessions.
"I think it was the better end (the right side), I would say. But I think the drift today was really less compared to what I practised. I think it was similar on both sides. So I think it didn't make much of a difference. But yeah, I think at some stage, I was hitting a bit of unforced errors from the faster side.
"I think whenever I was getting caught, I was doing the high lift and ready for the defence. I think that managed to work really well. And I was defending quite well as well," Shetty said.
He said the vociferous home crowd gave him energy when he was struggling during the match.
"Definitely, it's an energy booster for me. The way they were standing and supporting. I think I was super happy seeing everyone cheer for me and I think it gave me a lot of energy." Shetty said he was mentally and technically prepared for the tough opening contest.
"I think technically I was much more prepared and mentally as well. I was ready to work really hard. And yeah, I think I knew it would be a really tough match. Happy to put it off." Despite the win, Shetty is not thinking too far ahead and is only focussed on his next match.
"I'm not thinking much about the opponents. I think I'm focusing on the next opponent at this point. I think everyone is super tough and men's singles right now is really hard and I think I have to be at my best on all days.
"I mean, winning a world championship at home, growing up you must have dreamt about such a victory. I'm feeling great today. But I want to keep my head down and focus on the next round for now," Shetty said.