Ayush Shetty: Indian giantkiller on the cusp of Badminton Asia crown

A month after Lakshya Sen ended as the runner-up in All England Badminton, 20-year-old Ayush Shetty is on the cusp of something big. He is in line to be only the second Indian to win the men’s singles Badminton Asia crown, albeit at a gap of six decades, when he stunned world No.1 Thai Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-final at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre on Saturday.

The only Indian to have won the men’s singles title before was Dinesh Khanna way back in 1965 – while it had remained elusive for greats like Prakash Padukone and Pulella Gopichand. Ayush had already secured a medal for himself when he reached the semi-finals, becoming the first Indian men’s singles player since HS Prannoy in 2018 to achieve the feat. The duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had, however, won the doubles gold there in 2023.

Ranked 25th in the world, the gangly Ayush overcame the mental barrier of first-game deficit, losing badly 10-21 before rallying to take the next two games 21-19, 21-17 in a one-hour and 15-minute encounter. His composure, tactical awareness and aggressive net play turned the tide against the Thai star. The China sojourn has turned out to be a remarkable one for Ayush, who had earlier shocked world No.4 Jonathon Christie of Indonesia in the quarters.

A product of the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, where he ie being mentored by Vimal Kumar, the six-footer’s moment of reckoning came last year when he won the US Open title in July. He upstaged Brian Yang in straight games, becoming the first Indian to claim a BWF World Tour title in 2025.

Hailing from the small town of Sanoor near Karkala in Mangalore, he was introduced to badminton at the age of eight by his father, who coached him in their backyard. Recognising his potential, his family relocated to Bengaluru to provide him with better training opportunities. His rise has been marked by a series of impressive wins, including triumphs over top-10 players like Li Shi Feng and Chin Yu Jen at the Asia Championships, cementing his reputation as a shuttler with both flair and composure.

Ayush’s junior career already hinted at his potential when in his teens, he earned a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Spokane, USA; Denmark Junior International in 2021 and reached the finals at the Odisha Masters Super 100 (2023), the Bahrain International Challenge (2023) and the Dutch Open (2024).