Ayush Shetty stuns world No. 1 Shi Yuqi at BWF Worlds

India's Ayush Shetty knocked out defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi of China 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in a 73-minute Round of 64 match at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Monday evening. Times Now News reports that the 21-year-old Indian, who had lost to Shi in the Badminton Asia Championships final in April, mastered the drift at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium to end a three-match losing streak against the world No. 1.

Ayush started aggressively against the wind, leading 11-5 in the first game, and took it 21-14. The second game saw Shi level the match 21-13 as the drift shifted. In the decider, Ayush surged to an 18-14 lead, then held off a late comeback from Shi to seal the win. "I was mentally prepared and physically as well," Ayush said after what Times Now News calls his grand arrival at the Worlds. PV Sindhu also advanced comfortably in women's singles.