India’s Ayush Shetty produced one of the biggest upsets of the BWF World Championships on Monday by defeating defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in a 73-minute men’s singles first-round clash at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The 21-year-old from Karnataka who was making his World Championships debut and ranked 20 in the world, ended Shi’s title defence in the opening round. It marked Shetty’s first victory over the Chinese star after three previous losses which also included a one-sided defeat in the Badminton Asia Championships final in Ningbo in April.

The home crowd was completely behind Shetty who started the match aggressively. He raced into an early lead in the opening game, reaching 8-3 and then 11-5 at the interval. Using his height and powerful smashes to good effect, along with sharp net play and precise drops, he maintained control and closed out the first set 21-14.

Shi responded strongly after the change of ends. The 30-year-old Chinese player found greater rhythm, moving ahead to 11-9 at the mid-game break and stretching the lead to 15-10. He controlled the rallies more effectively and took the second set 21-13 to force a decider.

Ayush Shetty credits home crowd support after Thrilling win over World Number 1

In the deciding third set, Shetty again brought it to a good level. It was at 3-3 early on, he pulled away with a series of strong attacks, including body smashes and well-placed shots that forced errors from Shi. Shetty led 11-5 at the interval and extended the advantage to 17-6.

Shi made a late fightback, winning several points in a row to close the gap and reach 19-20 after Shetty had held multiple match points. The Indian held his nerve under pressure, winning the final point to seal the 21-19 victory and huge celebrations started in the stadium.

Shetty later credited the home support for giving him energy during the tougher moments. This win means Shetty will go to the second round and it has been a historic win for Indian badminton on the opening day of the championships, which are being held in India for the first time since 2009.