5 min readNew DelhiAug 17, 2026 11:53 PM IST
The running joke in Bengaluru among his training group of sparrers and coaches was that Ayush Shetty would check into the Delhi hotel for the Badminton World Championships and scotch-tape a poster on the long mirror. ’17th August will be a very bad day for Shi Yuqi’, the scrawled graffiti was to say.
The 21-year-old badminton star from Mangaluru almost didn’t see the manifestation play out when the Chinese defending champ and World No.1 dragged out his own end to a tantalising score of 21-14, 13-21, 21-19. But August 17 did end up as a wretched day for contemporary badminton’s most complete shuttler, the elegant Yuqi. Every step of his first-round exit was serenaded and sweated by an adoring crowd that watched the 6-ft-4 Indian soar at the Indira Gandhi arena, with a smash that took out the fancied Chinese.
Yuqi joined Lee Chong Wei in 2017 and Viktor Axelsen in 2021 in the ignominy of a first-round exit by a top name, though Ayush, ranked No.22, is way past being dubbed an upstart.
“I’m feeling great, it’s a really special win and I’m super happy with the way I played today,” Ayush said. “I knew it would be a really tough match and I really had to work very hard. I was mentally prepared, physically as well.”
India’s Ayush Shetty celebrates a point at the Badminton World Championships. (Photo: BAI)
The signs were evident on Saturday when Yuqi refused to talk to the Indian media, choosing a $5000 fine instead. He had refused to speak to the Chinese press pack too.
In training, the Chinese coaches stood on wooden crates to mimic the steep Ayush smash that comes from eight feet high. But nothing could prepare the rhythmic shuttler for the cacophony of an aggressive Ayush and the throbbing Indian fortress. The reigning champion has had mental blocks against double Olympic champ Axelsen. There’s no respite in sight though, as the similarly towering Ayush – like a ghost from the past – starts whacking at him.
The day had started with a hearty breakfast – Ayush’s favourite meal. Then Indonesian coach Irwansyah ran him through the tactics – something that was sorely missing at the Asian Championships final.
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Making the final was great. Yet, the towering shuttler needed a formal coronation that tips him to be a massive star of the future. It had to be Delhi. Having skipped lunch, Ayush chomped into Yuqi for his end meal.
Coach Sagar Chopda recalls the discussion before Ayush stepped onto the court.
“Ayush asked Irwansyah what the court drift was like, because he was sitting for the Sindhu match before that,” he said. Once that was clear, Ayush went about using the floaty lifts and clears that muddled Yuqi’s ability to connect smashes as the winds did their trick. Delhi was pressing its home advantage.
“The tricky thing about drift is it messes with the timing of shots. That’s what Sindhu and Ayush were told – to find the timing and feel on the shots,” coach Vimal Kumar explained.
Yuqi looked visibly tentative when both receiving and sending out the lobbed lifts.
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Too close for comfort
The final game was Ayush’s wicked gift to Delhi. He led 17-7 before he panicked, rushed and made a hash of the advantage.
“I was telling myself to calm down because I got nervous. He got close and managed to get back every shuttle,” the Indian said. “Everything I did, he somehow managed to retrieve it. So I was just telling myself to calm down and be aggressive.”
As five match points whittled down to 1, Delhi’s partisan crowd shored up the nervy youngster.
“I was super happy at how the crowd was standing up in the end in the stands cheering for me,” he acknowledged.
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Ayush was exhausted towards the end which explains the errors. Yuqi had read his cross-court pushes and was waiting for them.
That was when the Indian pulled out a stroke he reserves for clutch. A forehand cross-flick, brought out judiciously for the last point to push Yuqi away from the net. Not only was he aggressive in his attack as he took IG Stadium on a wild roller-coaster, he also took a leaf out of Lakshya Sen’s defence and was ready for the opponent’s push onto his body.
He was told to be wary of the side drift and at the endgame, to stop looking for cheap points. “One good rally,” his coaching bench kept repeating.
A country that’s been accustomed to Sindhu and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s big smashes now has another glorious big booming hit to follow. Delhi will never forget the day Ayush made August 17 miserable for the Chinese stalwart.
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The No.1 it might be but it’s still only Round 1 for Ayush.
“I’m focusing on the next opponent at this point. Everyone is super tough and I have to be at my best on all days. I’m feeling great today. But I want to keep my head down. I’m happy with the win today, I did well. But I want to go much further,” he added.