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Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty credited the home crowd for giving him the energy to hold his nerve and complete a stunning upset over defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the men's singles Round of 64 at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Monday.
Playing in front of a packed home crowd at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the World No. 22 Indian held his nerve to beat the Chinese star 21-14, 13-21, 21-19. After the win, Shetty said the home crowd's support gave him extra energy, especially when he was tired. He admitted the match became nervy as Shi Yu Qi fought back, but he was relieved to hold on and secure the win. "The crowd was really behind me, and it was giving me the energy. I was a bit tired, but I think the crowd cheering like that, I think it gave me a lot of energy at the end. But I think it was really nervy the way he was catching up. But I managed to pull it off somehow. And I think it was a great relief at last," he told the reporters. Shetty started strongly, using powerful smashes and sharp net play to put Shi under pressure. He controlled the opening game and took it comfortably 21-14. However, Shetty faced difficulties after the players switched sides. Struggling with his cross-court clears, he sent several shots long, allowing Shi to settle into his rhythm. The Chinese World No. 1 capitalised on the mistakes and quickly built a lead and eventually levelled the match with a 21-13 win. The deciding game was closely fought. Shetty built an 11-5 lead at the interval, but Shi fought back in the final stages. The Indian, however, stayed calm under pressure and won the decider 21-19 to complete a stunning upset and knock the World No. 1 out of the tournament. The victory also gave Shetty some revenge after losing to Shi in the Badminton Asia Championships final earlier this year. Shetty will now look to continue his impressive run in the Round of 32. Shetty said facing world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi was the toughest possible draw, especially in the opening round when he was still trying to settle into the tournament. He admitted there were several nervy moments, but was delighted to pull off the win. Shetty called it a "top" win, saying defeating the world No. 1 made the victory especially special. "Playing Shi Yu Qi is definitely the toughest draw. Playing world number one is never easy. I think even if it's the first round or any other rounds. I think it's the first round for me as well. I would say even I'm not settled in at all. But I think it was a tough one for both of us, and there were nervy moments, as I said. But yeah, happy to pull it off today," he said. "I would rank it as the top one. At home world championship debut, world number one. I think it's a special win, and I think I'm super happy today," he added. (ANI)
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