How Ayush Shetty fared against World No 1 Shi Yuqi; Lakshya Sen fritters a 20-16 lead to go down against Lee Cheuk Yiu | Badminton News
Twenty-year-old Ayush Shetty might’ve lost to Chinese World No 1 and World champion Shi Yuqi at the Malaysian Open, 21-18, 18-21, 21-12. But the young Indian gave enough glimpses of an ability to trouble the absolute top hierarchy of men’s singles badminton in the 70 minutes wringer he put the Chinese through to start the 2026 season. A word of appreciation from Shi Yuqi post the match and getting the Malaysian home crowd behind him, as the Chinese “Jiayou” chants peaked sensing trouble for their champ, hinted at Ayush’ steadily rising acknowledgment by fans. The areas of improvement are fairly clear: finishing – those last 5 points to wrap up a set after being even till 16; transitioning from defense to offense in longish rallies after he’s done the retrieving hardwork; and most importantly, body language, when a top opponent wrests back advantage as he would be expected to. But those could be remedied in the course of time. It was in what the World No 32 did right that raised hopes of an exciting …









