New Delhi: It was supposed to be a match of equals – the two self-admitted off-court friends – in the men’s singles Round of 16 clash at the BWF World Championships. Ayush Shetty and Alwi Farhan of Indonesia’s head-to-head record is tied at 2-2, with Farhan losing to Ayush most recently at the China Open in July. Familiar opponents from their junior days, with Farhan having beaten the Indian in the semifinals of the BWF World Junior Championships, where he won the gold medal in 2023.

But in the Round of 16 clash here at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Farhan toyed with the Indian and knocked him out, winning the match 21-19, 21-11 in 45 minutes.

He tediously disrupted Ayush’s game by not playing lifts to allow Ayush to play his trademark jump smashes. Farhan outfoxed him with his agile movement, almost leaving the Indian frozen on the backcourt. His strategy was clear – a lesson well learnt from his China Open loss to the Indian: win the net battle and deny Ayush the chance to unleash his smashes and catch him off guard. It left the Indian youngster looking like a shadow of himself. There was little flash of brilliance in his game. Farhan turned it into a one-sided contest.

The drift factor was taken out of the contest, with Farhan dominating both sides of the court.

Ayush started off with a 3-0 lead, with Farhan playing catch-up before crawling back to take an 11-9 lead at the interval. Ayush levelled it up at 12-12, but Farhan took control of the net and unleashed back-to-back smashes -one from the front court and another from the baseline.

Ayush became error-prone with his returns, with Farhan claiming three points in a row after the Indian played his shots into the net.

Farhan, the shorter player in the match, was nevertheless fleet-footed and the better mover on the court, stretching across his half with remarkable agility. He positioned himself perfectly in the midcourt, transitioning between front and back of the court smoothly, as he extended his lead to 16-12. Two unforced errors, with both of Farhan’s shots going wide, allowed Ayush to reduce the margin to 14-16.

Farhan won the next two, but Ayush fought his way back to level it at 18-18. He was playing from the same side – facing the crowd – where he had faced the drift in his first match against Shi. The venue was nearly full, with a capacity crowd cheering for Ayush, making the drift less impactful.

Ayush eventually took a 19-18 lead, sensing the length of Farhan’s flick and letting it go long. But Farhan found his way to take the opening game by playing flat flicks to the baseline. The last one even left the tall Ayush bending and struggling to connect with the shuttle.

Second game – Defence, jump smashes and Farhan’s ploy

Farhan’s relentless retrieval brought his impeccable defence to the fore in the second game. The game was close at least initially, with Farhan taking a slender lead at 3-2. But his strategy of not letting go of his control at the net paid off.

Farhan kept the shuttle low against the tall Ayush, drawing a slew of unforced errors. His court craft was evident when he won a point with a net flick before following it up with a body smash that struck Ayush on the knee.

At 8-4, Farhan again found Ayush stranded at the backcourt and punished him with a flat smash from the net. Ayush could not retrieve it.

It was a game of contrasting play. Farhan was quick on his feet, while Ayush looked frozen in contrast. His jump smashes were flat and short, landing in the midcourt and testing Ayush’s defence. Farhan took an 11-6 lead at the interval, with Ayush’s smash going wide.

Farhan was aggressive, and his court coverage was outstanding. Ayush tried to move him with high drops, but Farhan read the shuttle early, stretching to retrieve one in the backline before recovering in time to deal with Ayush’s net flick in the front court. That anticipation helped him build a six-point lead at 16-12.

Ayush, in contrast, was off-colour.

With Farhan not playing lifts, Ayush was denied the opportunity to unleash his strongest shot – the smash. Even when he got a lift and played a smash, Farhan returned it with ease, taking a 17-9 lead. Even as Ayush fought back to reduce the deficit to 14-18, Farhan held firm to claim the game – and the match in straight games.

After the match, Farhan, responding to a Times Now question, said, “It’s a bit tricky because, you know, my ex-coach was his coach. So, I think he knows me as well. So, that’s why I did change my game style.”

Asked what went wrong for Ayush, he said, “I think he was playing really sharp today. I think I had my chances in the first game, could not convert it. And I think second game he was playing with more confidence and he was putting a lot of pressure from the net. I think that made the difference.”

He also admitted that Farhan’s strategy of not playing lifts held him back from playing smashes. “Definitely he was not giving much chance. But I think when I had my chances, I was not really sharp getting the lines. I think that made a lot of difference, I would say. Yes, but credits to him, he played much better badminton and he was the better man,” said Ayush, while ruling out the pressure factor played into his head.