Rising star Ayush Shetty caused a major upset by defeating World No. 7 Li Shi Feng at the Badminton Asia Championships. Former World Champion PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy also progressed to the pre-quarterfinals with wins in their respective matches.
India's rising star Ayush Shetty, former World Champion PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy progressed to the pre-quarterfinals at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre in China, according to a release.
Ayush Shetty Stuns World No. 7
US Open 2025 champion Ayush Shetty produced a major upset, defeating World No. 7 and Hong Kong Open 2025 champion Li Shi Feng of China in straight games, 21-13, 21-16, in 51 minutes. Despite Li's strong start in both games, the Indian youngster dominated the later stages to advance to the round of 16.
In the opening game, Ayush fought back early to level at 4-4, with Li holding a slight edge until 7-7. From there, Ayush overpowered the home favourite to take the game 21-13. The second game followed a similar pattern, with Li pressing hard early on. Ayush fought back to level the score multiple times and took charge at 13-13, winning six straight points to close out the match 21-16. He will next face Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei.
PV Sindhu Fights Back for Victory
PV Sindhu defeated Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching in women's singles 15-21, 21-11, 21-19 in 1 hour and 7 minutes. She will next face World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China in the pre-quarterfinals both having 3-3 win-loss in past meetups.
HS Prannoy Secures Pre-Quarterfinal Spot
In men's singles, HS Prannoy beat Nguyen Hai Dang of Vietnam 24-22, 21-12 in 47 minutes. He will meet Hong Yang of China in the pre-quarterfinals after the latter received a walkover in the opening round.
Mixed Day for Other Indian Shuttlers
Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Malvika Bansod and Tanvi Sharma faced an exit in their respective opening round matches.
(ANI)
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