It was a nervy finish, but Ayush Shetty hit a stunning winner in the deciding third game to knock out defending champion and World No 1 Shi Yu Qi in the opening round of the BWF World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi
With Shi closing in on Shetty, saving four match points, Ayush pulled off a deceptive net flick, shaping to go to the Chinese star’s forehand side, then changing the direction at the last possible moment to hit the shuttle the other way.
“I am extremely happy with the way Ayush played that last shot. I mean, to play that at that moment speaks volumes of his talent,” Shetty’s coach Sagar Chopda told BAI’s YouTube channel in a post-match breakdown.
“He has always been good at that shot. If you look throughout the match, he played it at least three or four times, even on the first service receiving. You know, in the third game, he started with that shot. And again, in the third game, he played that one more time. So he has always been good at that shot. It is something that, as kids, maybe you pick it up. It’s not that, as coaches, you can teach them this.”
“If he had probably kept the shuttle at the net, Shi was ready for it. And that is how Shi scored almost all his 10 previous points. He was much more alert on the net than Ayush. And Ayush was a little jittery. But as soon as he played that shot, I knew that that was the winning moment,” he said.
Chopda, who has been working with Ayush for a long time at the academy in Bengaluru, said Shetty was relaxed coming into the match, and working with Indonesia’s Irwansyah has played a big role in making a strong start to the match, as the Indian player led from the first point till the end.
“He used his net shots really well. From the back of the court, he was not in a hurry to hit those hard smashes. He has been very erratic with that shot. So the main thing that we told him was to expect high lifts from Shi. And don’t get hassled by taking that jump and hitting it. He used that really, really well. He mixed his clears because he was playing from the better side. So he used his clears and lifts very well, opening up the court.
“Overall, it was 10-on-10 in the first game. There was never an ounce of doubt in his shots. Coach Irwansyah has been helping him tactically. And they had a long chat yesterday. If you also look at Ayush’s defence today, Shi is one of the best players in the world to have variations from everywhere. From the back of the court, from the net. So Ayush was ready for it. He was really good with his defence,” Chopda explained.
Chopda, who rated this as his ward’s best win so far, also shared that coach Vimal Kumar was in the stands watching Shetty’s match and shared important insights. He added that it was important that he now recover and turn his attention to the next round, because the job isn’t done yet.
