India's Ayush Shetty signed off with a silver medal after his giant-killing run ended in a straight-game loss to world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo on Sunday. The 20-year-old from Mangalore struggled to find his rhythm, going down 8-21, 10-21 to the reigning world champion from China, as India's 61-year wait for a men's singles gold at the event continued.

Despite the loss, it was a good campaign from the unseeded youngster, who became only the second Indian men's singles player after Dinesh Khanna to reach the final of the continental showpiece.

World No. 25 Ayush entered the contest after defeats to Shi at the Malaysia Super 1000 earlier this year and the Indonesia Masters last season. However, he had played with far greater control and attacking this week, toppling world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, world No. 4 Jonatan Christie and world No. 7 Li Shi Feng on his way to the final.

Who is Ayush Shetty? India’s newly crowned 2026 Badminton Asian Champion

Ayush Shetty (born 3 May 2005) is an Indian badminton player. He won the bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championship in the boys' singles event.

On 2025 June 30 came his biggest career achievement. He ended India's BWF drought with a composed win in the US Open Super 300 final. He beat Brian Yang 21-18, 21-13 in an untroubled final, a day after an impressive comeback win over top seed and veteran Chou Tien Chen.

Ayush has all the elements of a solid game style - his height and wingspan are a major weapon as he rains down the smashes and overhead winners. He possesses very good variations on that smash, too, the cross-court angled one being particularly effective. At the same time, he is sharp and deft at the net, which, given his height, is a huge advantage. His court coverage is athletic, and he can stay in the longer rallies and construct points instead of relying on attack to win it.

The silver medal today adds to India’s recent success at the championships, following Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s men’s doubles gold in 2023, and signals the emergence of a new contender in Indian men’s singles badminton.