Badminton Asia Championships: Heartbreak For Ayush Shetty, Goes Down To World No 2 Shi Yu Qi In Final

Ayush Shetty's dream run in the Badminton Asia Championships ended on a disappointing note as he lost to World No. 2 China's Shi Yu Qi in the final. It took 42 minutes for Shi Yu Qi to demonstrate his brilliance on the badminton court, and the scoreline read 8-21, 10-21 in his favour.

Ayush stunned the World No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 10-21, 21-19, 21-17 to set up a summit clash with his Chinese opponent.

At just twenty years old, Ayush Shetty etched his name in history as he became the first Indian to claim a silver medal at the event, and he also happens to be India's first men’s singles finalist in 61 years.

Despite his impressive run throughout the tournament, Shetty struggled to replicate his magic and failed to maintain momentum against the seasoned Chinese shuttler Shi. The World No. 2 dominated from the very opening game and left little room for error.

Ayush began the second game brightly, racing to a 7–2 lead, but Shi came from behind to level the score at 7-7. From there, the Chinese player didn't look back and dictated the pace, ultimately sealing the victory and denying Shetty a fairytale finish.

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