Now Reading: Ayush Shetty ready for World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in Worlds opener
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Ayush Shetty ready for World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in Worlds opener
Unseeded Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty will open his maiden BWF World Championships campaign against defending champion and World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in New Delhi on August 17. The 21-year-old from…
The Story in Brief
Unseeded Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty will open his maiden BWF World Championships campaign against defending champion and World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in New Delhi on August 17. The 21-year-old from Karnataka has lost all three previous meetings with the Chinese star, including the Asian Championships final in April, where Shi won 21-8, 21-10.
Ayush said he was prepared to face the top seed and viewed it as 'just another match'. He added that he had analysed their past encounters and would be 'tactically better this time'. Fully recovered from an elbow injury, Ayush hopes home crowd support can help him cause an upset.
The Indian Opinion
The hype around Ayush as a giant slayer is premature. He has beaten top names, but Shi has owned him three times. Calling this a 'special clash' sounds like a build-up to a letdown. The test is simple: can Ayush take a game off the world No. 1? If he does, the talk will be justified. If not, he should be judged on the season's bigger picture, not one match. The draw is brutal, but that is what debutants face. Let the racquet decide.
Sources (3): thehindu.com, deccanherald.com, hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
