Beijing, 08 April (H.S.):
Rising Indian star Ayush Shetty pulled off a major upset at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026, defeating world No. 7 and 2025 Hong Kong Open champion Li Shifeng of China 21-13, 21-16 in straight games to advance to the pre-quarterfinals.
Li surged early in the first game, but Shetty leveled at 4-4 and turned the tide after 7-7, clinching it 21-13 with aggressive play. The second game saw Li lead initially, yet Shetty equalized repeatedly, reeling off six straight points post 13-13 to seal a 51-minute victory.
India's best performance at the Championships remains two golds: Dinesh Khanna in men's singles (1965) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in men's doubles (2023).
Indian Contingent
Men's Singles: Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth, H.S. Prannoy
Men's Doubles: Hariharan Amsakarunan-MM Arjun, Prithvi K.R.-Sai Prateek K.
Women's Singles: P.V. Sindhu, Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma
Women's Doubles: Kavipriya Selvam-Simran Singhi, Priya Konjengbam-Shruti Mishra, Ashwini Bhat K.-S. Gautam
Mixed Doubles: Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor-Rutvik Shivani, Ashith Surya-Amruta Pramudesh
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
