Ayush Shetty stunned the World No.1 shuttler Shi Yu Qi in his first match of the BWF World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Delhi, on Monday (August 17). The 21-year-old defeated the defending champion 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 to pull off a heist. Ayush, who has now made it to the round of 32, used his powerful smashes and smart net play to defeat the Chinese shuttler. Following his win, Ayush revealed that he was mentally and physically prepared for a “tough match.”

“I knew it would be a really tough match, and I really had to work very hard. And, I think I was mentally prepared, physically as well and somehow managed,” Shetty said.

“I was telling myself to calm down. I was getting a bit nervous because he was really catching up and the momentum was with him. And, everything I did, he somehow managed to return, so I think I was just telling myself to calm down, and you know, be aggressive,” he added.

Shetty revealed that his coach Vimal Kumar gave him a simple approach: to “enjoy” every point. “He told me to enjoy every point. You know, it’s a really great match, and, uh, on the home soil, uh, playing World No. 1. I think it’s a really great opportunity for me. I think we had a solid game plan and (I) somehow managed to execute,” he revealed.

After winning the first game, Shetty struggled when players switched sides and lost the second game 13-21. He won the third game from the same end he won the first game.

“It was the better end, I would say. But I think, uh, the drift today was really less compared to what I practised. I think it was similar on both sides. So, I think it didn’t make much of a difference, but, yeah, I think, at some stage, I was hitting a bit of, you know, unforced errors from the faster side,” he signed off.