Ayush Shetty’s debut game in the BWF World Championships will be a special occasion, as not only will it come on home soil, but he will also face defending champion and top seed Shi Yu Qu in the first round as he faces a test by fire when the tournament kickstarts on 17th August at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Arena as the competition returns to India after 17 years.
The 21-year-old is among India’s brightest hopes for a medal after strongly emerging as one of the country’s finest players in men’s singles.
While Ayush will be playing the mega event for the first time in his career, he has already made a habit of succeeding in major events in his career. The star shuttler became the first Indian to play the final of the Asian Championships earlier this year. His silver medal marked the first instance of a male player being on the podium at the tournament after 61 years. Meanwhile, he was also part of the Indian team which won a bronze medal at the Thomas Cup in 2026. Earlier in 2023, he won the bronze medal in the Junior World Championship.
Responding to a question from Sports Now in a select virtual media interaction, Ayush claimed that success in previous big tournaments gives him confidence and claimed that the match against Shi will be a special game.
“I think it gives great confidence, you know. I’ve done well at the Asian Championship, the Thomas Cup, but I think definitely at the World Championship I would rank it bigger than those for me, and it’s also my debut. But I think it’s also a good challenge for me, and also playing Shi Yu Qi would be, you know, it’s more special. So, I think I’m really looking forward to it,” said Ayush.
Shetty On Shi Yu Qi Battle
Answering another question, Ayush claimed that as an unseeded player, the draw did not come as a surprise to him and he was prepared to face the world No.1. While the Indian star is yet to win against Shi in his career, he expressed confidence in being better prepared this time around.
“I think Shi Yu Qi, you know, he’s a really tough opponent to play against. I remember my match against him in the Asian Championship final, I think he was really prepared. But I think, you know, I have gotten better and, you know, been analyzing my match and I think we’ll be better prepared this time. And also, you know, like you said, the mental aspect, I think you really have to work hard playing against him,” said Ayush
For those unversed, Ayush and Shi have played each other three times in their careers, including in the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships, and the Chinese have won all three matches. While the battle in the continental showpiece competition was a one-sided affair with Shi sealing victory with a 21-8, 21-0 margin, Shetty gave a close fight in the other two battles between them. The Chinese won their maiden battle in the Indonesia Open this year by a 21-19, 21-19 scoreline, while a game in the Malaysia Open went into three sets which the World No.1 won by a 21-18, 18,21, 21-12 margin.
However, Ayush dismissed any thoughts of revenge for the previous meeting and claimed his focus on being better prepared to play the Shi this time around.
“There’s no revenge kind of emotion. But I think it’s a new tournament. , I think I’m not really thinking about my loss at the Asian Championship, but definitely we’ll I’ll be analyzing my match and, I think more I’d be more prepared, I would say, you know, , I’ll be more, you know, you have to be tactically better this time. I think last time I remember Shi really outplayed, like I said. I think we’ll be better prepared and, I think, yeah, I think it’s a new tournament. I think it’s a new match,” Ayush concluded.