NEW DELHI: In the 64-year-old history of the Badminton Asia Championships, only thrice have Indian players or pairs made it to the final day of competition.
Dinesh Khanna won the men’s singles crown in 1965 in the second edition of a tournament that has grown into the continental showpiece. India had to wait another 58 years before Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the men’s doubles in 2023 in Dubai.
Now, Ayush Shetty stands on the cusp of history after stunning world No.1 and defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand to enter the men’s singles final in Ningbo, China, on Saturday.
It took the 20-year-old an hour and 15 minutes to overcome the top seed 10-21, 21-19, 21-17 in what was the second contest between the two with the former world champion winning the previous meeting last year.
“After the first game, I played with more patience. He was really retrieving every shuttle and I had to keep attacking. It’s my first Asia Championships and reaching the final feels really great,” said Shetty.
For someone who started playing at the senior level only two years back, this is already an amazing run to reach the final of what many experts call the toughest badminton competition in the world.
The tall world No.25 started off by beating reigning Asian Games gold medallist Li Shi Feng of China before easing past Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen. The Mangaluru shuttler then outsmarted former All England champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia before beating Paris Olympics silver medallist Vitidsarn.
“Brilliant! He clearly got into Kunlavut’s mind. Such steep smashes. He has been handling tough and crucial situations exceptionally well. What stands out most is Ayush’s composure — he is handling pressure situations remarkably well,” his coach U Vimal Kumar told HT from Bali.
It was an intriguing contest between probably the best defensive player in the world and an up-and-coming shuttler who attacks relentlessly. In the first game the Indian looked completely out of groove as Vitidsarn easily took points playing percentage badminton — the first game Shetty dropped this week.
But Shetty, who has been training under Indonesian coach Irwansyah for the last couple of weeks, went into full attack mode in the second game. With nothing to lose, he charged up front, used his height to tower over at the net, not letting the shuttle go past him.
From the middle and back court, the 1.95m-tall shuttler created sharp angles and hammered steep smashes which even the defence of Vitidsarn could not counter, Shetty taking a 12-4 lead. But Vitidsarn wasn’t going to give up easily.
He tried fighting back but the gap was too big and the Indian raced away to 20-14. However, the world No.1 saved five game points before Shetty managed to push the contest into the decider.
By the start of the third game, Shetty had found his rhythm and confidence as he aimed for the lines while going for smashes. He generated incredible power as his smashes hit the court like bullets and he extended his lead to 9-4.
With solid court movement, Shetty had all the answers for Vitidsarn’s retrieves as he kept taking points off the top seed to enter the final with another stupendous down-the-line smash.
“Kunlavut took the first game comfortably with Ayush looking a bit sluggish and struggling to read the deceptive strokes from the net. In the second game, after building a strong lead at 20–14, Ayush showed a touch of anxiety, allowing it to narrow to 20–19. However, he responded brilliantly with a decisive down-the-line smash to close out the game,” said Vimal.
“In the decider, Kunlavut seemed tense while Ayush looked physically exhausted. Yet, Ayush’s steep, powerful down-the-line smashes and well-directed half-smashes to Kunlavut’s forehand proved decisive and completely turned the match in his favour.”
For Shetty to match Khanna and Satwik-Chirag, he will need to overcome reigning world champion, second seed and home favourite Shi Yu Qi, who will be backed by the crowd at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center. In two previous outings, the Chinese came out on top. But the Indian is ready for the challenge.
“I’m really excited for it. He is one of the best players in the world. Playing Shi Yu Qi would be amazing in China,” Shetty said.
