20-year-old Indian badminton player Ayush Shetty secured his maiden BWF title at the US Open 2025, defeating Brian Yang in straight sets. This victory marks India's first World Tour title of the season.
The young Indian badminton player Ayush Shetty scripts history with his maiden BWF title at the US Open 2025 on Monday, June 30. Ayush defeated Brian Yang of Canada in two straight sets to clinch the major title of his career at the international level.
Ayush Shetty had a tough opening set of the title clash, as he found himself locked at 16–16, before making a comeback with a blistering cross-court smash and a series of winners to clinch it with 21-18. Then, the 20-year-old dominated from the outset of the second set, leaving no room for Brian Yang to make a comeback in the match, as Ayush raced to 7-2 before wrapping up the final with a score of 21-13 to take home his first BWF title.
With his maiden BWF title, Ayush Shetty became the first Indian to win a World Tour title this season, ending India’s title drought on the circuit. Moreover, he became just the second Indian player after HS Prannoy in 2017 to clinch the prestigious US Open 2025 title.
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Impressive week for Ayush Shetty
Ayush Shetty has capped off his impressive week at the US Open 2025 with a victory in the final. The young badminton player kicked off his campaign with a victory over Magnus Johannesen of Denmark in two straight sets in the first round of the tournament.
Thereafter, Shetty had a tough fight against his compatriot Tharun Mannepalli in the second set, where he clinched victory in three sets. After winning the opening set, Shetty lost the momentum briefly as Mannepalli leveled the match to take it to the deciding set, where the former displayed remarkable composure and tactical acumen to edge past his fellow Indian with 21-18.
In the quarterfinal, Ayush Shetty was completely tested by Kuo Kuan-lin of Chinese Taipei in the first set, where the Indian youngster had to fight out to clinch it with 22-20. In the second set, Shetty completely dominated as he left no room for Kuo to make a comeback in the match.
In the semifinal, Ayush Shetty displayed his resilience and mental toughness against World No.6 Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei. He lost the opening set to Chou before making a comeback in the next two sets in order to seal a berth for the final.
Ayush Shetty culminated his impressive in winning his maiden major international title in his career, marking a significant breakthrough for the 20-year-old.
The rise of Ayush Shetty
Ayush Shetty hails from Sanoor, a village in Karkala town of Karnataka. Shetty picked up a badminton racquet for the first time at the age of 8 after he was inspired by his father playing in their backyard.
The youngster received initial training from coaches Subhash and Chetan in Karkala and Mangalore before his parents decided to relocate to Bengaluru when he was age of 12 for better training after watching his potential and talent to play the sport. Lack of accessibility to proper training and infrastructure in Karnala and Mangalore prompted Ayush’s parents to make a difficult decision to move to Bengaluru, where he joined Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy.
While Ayush Shetty pursued studies, badminton became a steady priority for the youngster.
Ayush Shetty’s breakthrough moment came in 2023 when he clinched the Bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Spokane, USA, becoming the sixth Indian badminton player to win a medal at the prestigious junior tournament. Over the years, Shetty has been working hard to improve his agility and defence, and his training at the academy run by Indian legend Prakash Padukone has eventually paid dividends.
The year 2025 has been a breakthrough year for Ayush Shetty as he has reached the semifinals of the Orleans Masters Super 300 and Taipei Open, defeating Loh Kean Yew and compatriot Kidambi Srikanth quarterfinals. The US Open 2025 triumph marks the pinnacle of Ayush Shetty’s rapid rise in the senior circuit, making one of the promising badminton players to watch out for.
