Ayush Shetty Stuns Shi Yuqi at BWF World Championships

India’s Ayush Shetty produced a major upset at the BWF World Championships 2026, defeating defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in the round of 64 in New Delhi. The 21-year-old’s three-game victory sent him through to the round of 32 and delivered his first win over Shi after three previous defeats.

Shetty made a fast start against Shi, taking the opening game 21-14. Shi responded in the second game, winning it 21-13 to level the contest, but Shetty held his nerve in a tight decider and closed out a 21-19 result.

A first victory over the defending champion

The win was especially significant for Shetty because Shi had beaten him in each of their previous three meetings. Those losses included a straight-game defeat in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships earlier in 2026.

In New Delhi, Shetty reversed that result against one of the sport’s leading players. The Indian began strongly, using his smashes and defence to establish an early advantage in the match. Although the second game went Shi’s way, Shetty recovered for the deciding game and finished the contest with a two-point margin.

The 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 scoreline underlined how closely contested the match became after Shetty’s opening-game success. His ability to return after losing the second game proved decisive as he secured a place in the next round of the World Championships.

For Indian badminton, the result adds another notable moment to Shetty’s progress in 2026. Beating the defending champion and current world No. 1 at a World Championships is a substantial achievement, while the victory also changes the immediate record between the two players after Shi’s earlier run of success.

Shetty’s rise in men’s singles

Shetty had already made headlines earlier this year by becoming the first Indian men’s singles player to reach the Badminton Asia Championships final in 61 years. His run included a semi-final win over Kunlavut Vitidsarn before Shi defeated him in the title match.

The player from Sanoor near Karkala in Karnataka was introduced to badminton by his father at the age of eight. His family later moved to Bengaluru so he could pursue training, and he developed at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy.

His breakthrough on the senior circuit came in 2025, when he won the US Open title by beating Brian Yang in straight games for his first BWF World Tour crown. He also recorded wins over top-10 players Li Shi Feng and Chi Yu Jen at the Asia Championships.

Before his senior breakthrough, Shetty won bronze at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Spokane, claimed the Denmark Junior International in 2021, and reached finals at the Odisha Masters Super 100 in 2023, the Bahrain International Challenge in 2023 and the Dutch Open in 2024.

His latest result now takes him into the BWF World Championships 2026 round of 32. After overcoming Shi in a 55-minute-style three-game battle reflected by the scoreline, Shetty has delivered the standout win of his World Championships campaign so far.