New Delhi, 11 April (H.S.):

In the men’s singles category of the Badminton Asia Championships, India’s young shuttler Ayush Shetty delivered a stunning performance and pulled off a major upset. On Saturday, he defeated current champion and world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn to book his place in the final. With this victory, Ayush has become only the second Indian to reach the men’s singles final at this continental championship.

Earlier, Dinesh Khanna had won the gold medal for India at the 1965 edition of the tournament. Since then, Suresh Goel, Prakash Padukone, P. Gopichand, Anup Sridhar, and H. S. Prannoy have all won bronze medals in different years, but until now no Indian player managed to reach the final.

World No. 25 Ayush won the match in one hour and fifteen minutes by 10–21, 21–19, and 21–17. In the title clash, he will face either China’s Shi Yuqi or Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien‑chen.

This was the second encounter between Ayush and Vitidsarn. Their previous meeting came at the Arctic Open, where the Thai player had emerged victorious. In this match too, Vitidsarn claimed the first game comfortably, but Ayush staged a remarkable comeback.

In the second game, Ayush displayed solid defensive play and gradually built up a lead.

Although his opponent tried to stage a revival, Ayush held his nerve and clinched the deciding points to take the contest into a third game. In the final game, Ayush maintained the upper hand from the outset and sealed the historic win with a powerful smash.

Earlier in the tournament, Ayush had beaten world No. 7 Lee Shi Feng in the early rounds and then defeated Chi Yu‑jen in straight games. In the quarterfinals, he overcame world No. 4 Jonathan Christie to secure a semifinal berth.

Now, the entire country’s gaze is fixed on Ayush, who will step onto the final court with the aim of scripting even more history.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar