Rising star Ayush Shetty stunned world no.4 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, reaching the semi-finals of Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, on Friday.
The 20-year-old came from behind to win the opening game, before scripting a historic straight-set, 23-21, 21-17 win and confirming a medal for him on debut.
This will be India’s first medal at the continental showdown in 3 years, since the title-winning run of the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in 2023.
He also became the first Indian in 8 years to reach the semi-finals in the men’s singles, since H.S. Prannoy achieved the feat in 2018 and went on to win bronze.
He has not even conceded a single game yet, claiming all 3 straght-game wins en route to his semi-final, where his potential matchup will be against world no.1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Ayush upsets the former champion
Ayush has been on a deadly streak in this tournament, knocking out another seeded player, following his first-round win over Li Shi Feng of China.
Although Jonatan had a good start to the match, leading the first mid-game interval by 3 points, the young Indian kept himself within touch and levelled the score after the break.
In a topsy-turvy game, Ayush eventually came out on top, winning the first game on extra points after saving two game points and forcing a deuce.
In the second game, the Indian shuttler was much more commanding and kept Christie on bay throughout and won the match despite a late comeback from Christie.
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