BWF World Championships 2026: Ayush Shetty Stuns World No. 1 as India Win All Five Matches on Day 1
Five Indian entries. Five victories. One perfect opening day.
India launched its BWF World Championships 2026 campaign with a clean sweep at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Monday, but one result towered above the rest: Ayush Shetty’s spectacular takedown of world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi.
The 21-year-old Indian held his nerve through a tense decider to beat the Chinese top seed 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in the men’s singles Round of 64.
PV Sindhu swept aside Ireland’s Sophia Noble in straight games, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi, and MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan carried India’s flawless run into the doubles draws.
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The tournament, being staged in India for the first time since 2009, runs from August 17 to 23.
Shetty Brings Down the World Champion
Playing before a packed home crowd, world No. 22 Shetty attacked Shi from the opening rally.
His steep smashes and sharp control at the net pushed the defending champion onto the defensive, allowing the Indian to seize the first game 21-14.
Shi struck back after the change of ends. Shetty lost control of several cross-court clears, sent the shuttle long and allowed the Chinese star to dictate the exchanges. Shi took the second game 21-13 to force a decider.
Shetty then burst into an 11-5 lead at the interval in the final game.
The world champion fought back, dragged himself within touching distance and threatened to snatch the match at the finish. Shetty refused to buckle, closing out the decider 21-19 as the stadium erupted.
The victory also avenged Shetty’s defeat to Shi in the Badminton Asia Championships final earlier this year and sent the top seed crashing out in the opening round.
Sindhu Starts Her Medal Hunt in Style
Five-time World Championships medallist PV Sindhu made a ruthless start to her campaign, brushing aside Ireland’s Sophia Noble 21-7, 21-11.
Sindhu controlled the match with precise drops and powerful smashes, giving Noble little room to settle. She raced through the opening game and maintained her grip in the second to seal a comfortable straight-game victory.
The former world champion will face Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang in the Round of 32.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand overwhelmed Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-9 in just over 30 minutes. Treesa supplied the power from the back court while Gayatri prowled the net, allowing the Indian pair to dominate both games. They will next meet American combination Lauren Lam and Allison Lee.
Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi also reached the Round of 32 after defeating Spain’s Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez 22-20, 21-14. The Indians survived a tight opening game before taking command of the second. Bulgarian sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva await them in the next round.
Arjun-Hariharan Advance After Rivals Retire
MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan completed India’s perfect day in men’s doubles.
The Indian pair won the opening game 21-16 against Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds and led 6-4 in the second when their opponents retired because of an injury. Arjun and Hariharan will face South Korea’s Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju in the Round of 32.
India could hardly have scripted a stronger return for the World Championships on home soil. Sindhu delivered authority. The doubles pairs supplied consistency. Shetty supplied the thunderbolt. Day 1 ended 5-0 to India, with the world champion already out of the building.
(With inputs from ANI)