Badminton World Championships 2026: Ayush Shetty Stuns World No.1 Shi Yu Qi In First Round Encounter

India's Ayush Shetty pulled off a sensational upset at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, stunning top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi 21-14, 13-21, 21-19. Fuelled by a partisan home crowd, the 21-year-old played fearless badminton to take the opener before Shi fought back to level the match. The grueling 73-minute encounter largely hinged on a dramatic momentum shift in the decider. Having built a commanding 17-7 and 20-15 lead, Shetty saw his comfortable cushion vanish as the Chinese star mounted a fierce comeback, winning 10 out of 12 points to narrow the gap to 20-19. However, keeping his composure under immense pressure, Shetty capitalized on his fifth match point. He sealed the landmark first-round victory by cleverly using his wrist to leave Yu Qi stranded with an audacious final shot, claiming his maiden win over Shi in four attempts and banishing the ghosts of a crushing defeat in the Badminton Asia Championships final earlier that year.

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