India’s Ayush Shetty produced the biggest win of his career, knocking out world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of the People’s Republic of China in a thrilling opening-round contest at the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi on Monday.
The 21-year-old Indian badminton player, 22nd in the BWF rankings, held his nerve against the 30-year-old Chinese top seed to pull off a stunning 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 victory on his World Championships debut.
Ayush came into the match with a 0-3 head-to-head record against Shi Yuqi, but two of those encounters had been closely fought.
At the Indonesia Masters last year, Shi Yuqi edged the Indian 21-19, 21-19 before needing three games and an hour and 10 minutes to overcome Ayush in the round of 16 at the Malaysia Open earlier this year.
Their most recent meeting, however, was a more one-sided affair. Shi Yuqi defeated Ayush 21-8, 21-10 in the Badminton Asia Championships final in Ningbo in April.
Against the defending world champion at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, Ayush showed he had grown since that loss in April.
The Indian made a strong start, racing to an 8-3 lead, stretching his advantage to 13-6 before keeping his composure to close out the opening game 21-14.
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