For the second edition in a row, India will not have a men’s singles medalist at the BWF World Championships (BWF) as Ayush Shetty exited the competition in the Round of 16 after losing to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in straight sets. The 21-year-old lost to the third seed by 21-19 and 21- margin on Court 1 of the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Thursday (August 20).

In the first set, Ayush won the first four points, but Farhan managed to claw his way back to level scores. The game remained neck-and-neck before Farhan edged forward by taking an 18-14 lead. However, Ayush managed to win five straight points to take a 19-18 lead. However, the World No.12 won the set by winning the next three points.

In the second set, Ayush was playing catch-up at all times as Farhan led from the start. The Indian struggled to match his intensity as the Indonesian sealed a comfortable 21-11 victory to confirm his place in the quarter-finals.

After Sai Praneeth became the second Indian to win a medal (bronze) in men’s singles in 2019 after Prakash Padukone’s bronze in 1983, India had a new lease of life in the discipline, with four medals in the next four editions as Kidambi Srikanth secured silver in 2021 while Lakshya Sen won a silver in the same year. Later in 2023, HS Prannoy won a bronze medal.

Both in 2025 and 2026, India has not even had a quarter-finalist in the men’s singles. Before Ayush’s exit today, Lakshya Sen was knocked out on Wednesday (August 19) in the second round. The 14th seed suffered a shock exit after being beaten by World No.93 Garet Tan. The 18-year-old American beat him in a three-set thriller.

Ayush had sparked hope after producing one of the greatest upsets in history by defeating World No.1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the first round. This marked the first instance of a reigning winner losing in the first round of the subsequent edition.