Ayush Shetty produced one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 BWF World Championships, knocking out defending champion and world No.1 Shi Yuqi in a dramatic first-round contest in New Delhi. The 21-year-old Indian shuttler held his nerve in a tense deciding game to beat the Chinese star 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 and move into the second round.
Playing in his first BWF World Championships, Shetty had been handed one of the toughest possible assignments. Shi entered the tournament as the top seed and defending champion, making the Indian’s victory even more significant. The match lasted 73 minutes and ended with the home crowd at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium celebrating a result few would have expected before the opening serve.
The win was also a major turnaround in Shetty’s rivalry with Shi. Before Monday’s contest, the Indian had lost all three of his previous meetings with the Chinese player. Their most recent encounter had come at the Badminton Asia Championships in April, where Shi had beaten Shetty in straight games in just 42 minutes. Shetty therefore entered this match knowing exactly how difficult the challenge would be.
This time, however, Shetty looked far more confident. He attacked early, used his height and reach effectively and repeatedly unsettled Shi with his angles and pace. The Indian quickly established control in the opening game and took it 21-14. His aggressive approach was supported by the noisy home crowd, which turned the match into a charged atmosphere from the beginning.
Shi, as expected from a player of his standing, responded strongly. The Chinese shuttler changed the rhythm of the contest in the second game and put Shetty under greater pressure. The rallies became longer, and Shi found more opportunities to dictate play. Shetty could not maintain his advantage and eventually surrendered the game 13-21.
That forced the match into a deciding game, where the pressure was immense. Shetty initially appeared to have the contest firmly under control. He opened up a substantial lead, including a 17-5 advantage at one stage, and looked set to complete the upset comfortably. But Shi refused to go away.
The world No.1 launched a remarkable comeback and began cutting into the deficit point by point. What had looked like a straightforward finish suddenly became a nervy battle. Shi eventually reduced the gap to just one point, putting the Indian under enormous pressure as the finish line approached.
Shetty, though, did not lose his composure. He managed to close out the deciding game 21-19, completing the biggest victory of his young career. The result sent the defending champion out of the BWF World Championships at the first hurdle and gave Indian badminton a memorable moment on home soil.
The victory also underlined the progress Shetty has made over the past year. The Karnataka-born player has emerged as one of India’s promising men’s singles prospects. His breakthrough at the continental level came earlier this year when he won silver at the Badminton Asia Championships, becoming the first Indian man to claim a singles silver medal at the tournament.
That performance had already indicated that Shetty could compete against established names. His victory over Shi now takes that belief a step further. Beating a reigning world champion and current world No.1 at the sport’s biggest individual tournament is the kind of result that can change a player’s standing almost overnight.
Shetty’s success was not simply about surviving a three-game contest. His performance showed that he could adjust after losing momentum, absorb pressure from one of the world’s best players and stay composed when the match appeared to be slipping away. Those qualities are particularly important in men’s singles badminton, where rallies can change the direction of a match within a few points.
The home setting also played a role. The BWF World Championships 2026 have returned to India after 17 years, with New Delhi hosting the tournament from August 17 to 23. Indian players are competing in front of a home audience, and Shetty made full use of that support during a match that demanded both physical endurance and mental resilience.
After the match, Shetty described the victory as special but made it clear that he did not want to get carried away. His attention now shifts to the next round, where the challenge will be to build on this performance rather than simply celebrate it.
