The BWF World Championships 2026 witnessed a major upset on the opening day as India’s Ayush Shetty stunned top seed and defending champion Shi Yuqi in the men’s singles first round at the Indira Gandhi Stadium
The unseeded Indian, who had lost all three of his previous meetings against the Chinese star, produced a composed performance to register a 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 victory in one hour and 13 minutes.
The result created history as Shi Yuqi became the first defending men’s singles champion to be eliminated in the opening round of the World Championships.
Ayush Shetty holds nerve against Shi Yuqi
Ayush started the contest strongly and quickly established control in the opening game. Shi struggled to adjust to the conditions and made several errors as the Indian built an 11-5 advantage at the interval.
The 21-year-old continued to attack with his powerful smashes and closed out the opening game 21-14. Shi responded in the second game and forced Ayush into a decider after winning it 21-13.
The Indian showed considerable composure in the final game. He changed ends with a 11-5 lead before extending the advantage to 16-5 after winning seven consecutive points.
Shi, however, refused to surrender. The Chinese began controlling the net better and reduced the deficit to 18-15. Ayush managed to withstand the pressure and earned five match points after a down-the-line smash. Shi saved four of them, but the Indian finally converted his fifth opportunity with a deceptive flick to complete one of the biggest wins of his career.
Speaking about the tense final stages, Ayush said he reminded himself to stay calm as Shi began closing the gap. “I was telling myself to calm down. I was getting a bit nervous because he was really catching up.”
He added that he tried to remain aggressive despite the momentum shifting towards his opponent.
Ayush headlines India’s perfect opening day
Ayush’s victory capped a perfect opening day for the Indian contingent, with all five Indians in action progressing to the second round. Earlier, former world champion PV Sindhu comfortably defeated Ireland’s Sophia Noble 21-7, 21-11 in her women’s singles opener.
Sindhu controlled the contest from the beginning and will next face Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang in the second round. In men’s doubles, MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan advanced after Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds retired while trailing 16-21, 4-6.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also progressed in women’s doubles with a 21-9, 21-13 win over Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez. Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi completed India’s winning run on the opening day, defeating Spain’s Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez 22-20, 21-14.
Other major results
Japan’s Yushi Tanaka also registered a notable upset, defeating China’s 16th seed Weng Hong Yang 21-17, 21-14. Elsewhere, fourth seed Anders Antonsen defeated Dicky Dwi Pangestu 21-19, 21-17, while 10th seed Kodai Naraoka beat Chi Yu Jen 21-16, 7-21, 21-12.
In women’s singles, top seed An Se Young defeated Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova 21-14, 21-13, while third seed Wang Zhi Yi beat USA’s Beiwen Zhang 21-12, 21-13. For India, however, the headline belonged to Ayush Shetty, whose victory over the defending champion has given the home contingent a major boost at the World Championships.
