Who is Ayush Shetty? Meet the Indian shuttler who stunned defending champion Shi Yuqi at BWF World Championships

Young Indian badminton sensation Ayush Shetty clinched a stunning victory over World No 1 Shi Yuqi in the round of 64 clash of the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Monday.

Ayush defeated the Chinese shuttler with a scoreline of 21-14, 13-21, 21-19. The 73-minute first-round contest was Shetty's first win over Yuqi after having lost to the Chinese thrice previously.

Shetty made a quick start and put the defending champion under pressure. He began the first game with three consecutive points and continued to maintain a healthy lead. He held an 11-5 lead at the interval in the first game, combining his powerful smashes with solid defence.

Shi attempted to change the pattern with his own attacking strokes, including powerful smashes and deceptive drop shots, but Shetty continued to find ways to keep the Chinese player under pressure, and won the first game 21-14.

Yuqi bounced back in the second game, regaining control and preventing Shetty from playing with the same freedom he had in the opening game. The Chinese player took the game 21-13 to level the match and force a decider.

The 21-year-old Indian, however, responded strongly in the third game, taking an 11-5 lead. He was even close to clinching a victory when he was leading 17-6, but Yuqi fought back valiantly to make it 19-20.

Shetty, however, had the last laugh as he clinched the decisive point to seal the third game 21-19 and win the match. Shetty will take on Sri Lanka's Dumindu Abeywickrama in the second round of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Wednesday. 

Who is Ayush Shetty?

Shetty was born on 3 May 2005 in Sanoor, a town in Karnataka, near Karkala. His father introduced him to badminton at the age of eight. The family relocated to Bengaluru to develop his badminton skills.

In Bengaluru, Shetty trained under coaches at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. He soon began reaching tournament finals and winning some of them.

He won the Denmark Junior International in 2021 and went on to reach the finals of the Odisha Open Super 100 and Bahrain International Challenge in 2023. In 2024, he also reached the summit clash of the Dutch Open.

2025 was a breakthrough year for him as he clinched the US Open title. He defeated Canada's Brian Yang in straight games, with the match ending in a scoreline of 21-18, 21-13, to win his maiden BWF World Tour title.

Earlier this year, the youngster became the first Indian man in 61 years to reach the final of the Badminton Asia Championships, where he lost to Yuqi. In the semi-finals, Shetty scripted a stunning 10-21, 21-19, 21-17 win over Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn, but fell to the Chinese in the final hurdle.