Rising Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the BWF World Championships, knocking out world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the opening round in New Delhi on Monday.The 21-year-old defeated the defending champion 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in a thrilling 73-minute men's singles round-of-64 encounter to register his first victory over the Chinese star in four meetings.The win also avenged Shetty's defeat to Shi in the final of the Asian Championships earlier this year."Tactically, I was much better today. I think today I was super prepared and really happy to pull it off," Shetty said after the match.#News| Ayush Shetty defeats defending champion and World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi at the BWF World Championships! 🎉🔥🇮🇳The 21 year old Indian shuttler won the first game 21-14 before Shi Yu Qi fought back to take the second 21-13 and force a decider. Ayush dominated the final game… pic.twitter.com/huyYXrwncF— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) August 17, 2026 Ayush had a solid start to the match and dominated the rally, showcasing quality defensive display to rattle Shi on his attacking front en route to clinching the first game.As expected, Shi came right back in the second game while employing 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 soared to a 17-6 lead. But then, and against the run of play, his composure evaporated as Shi began to erase the deficit.Ayush then squandered multiple game points, much to the crowd's disbelief.With the game in the balance and Shi trailing by just 1 point (19-20), the unseeded Indian played a deceptive forehand-jab to wrong-foot the defending champion and seal what was a sensational victory. Shetty admitted that the final stages became extremely tense as Shi continued to retrieve…
This report has been adapted by the PurePlay Sports Desk from coverage by The Hindu Sportstar, Google News — India Sports, NDTV Sports, The Bridge, Khel Now.