Ayush Shetty commenced his Badminton Asia Championships 2026 campaign with a win
He defeated China's Lin Shi Fend to secure opening victory
Ayush is currently ranked World no. 25
India’s Ayush Shetty stunned world No. 7 Lin Shi Feng of China in straight games to enter the second round of the men’s singles competition at the Badminton Asia Championships at Ningbo, China on Wednesday.
World No 25 Ayush, who had won the US Open Super 300 title last year, registered a 21-13 21-16 victory in 51 minutes.
Lin raced to a 4-1 lead early on, but Ayush clawed back to level at 7-7 before gradually taking control to pocket the opening game.
After the change of sides, the Chinese again moved ahead 4-1 and extended it to 12-9, but Ayush turned the tide with a six-point burst to surge to 18-13.
Lin closed the gap to 16-18, but the Indian held his nerve to shut the door on his fancied opponent.
Top stars such as PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy will begin their campaigns later in the day.
Dinesh Khanna remains the only Indian to win the men's singles gold at the continental meet in 1965, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed the doubles crown in 2023.
