Ayush Shetty won his first BWF World Tour title, lifting the US Open Super 300 with solid, straight-games win over Brian Yang and ending India's BWF title drought in 2025.
The 20-year-old was impressively level-headed and sharp in the final, beating the higher-ranked Canadian 21-18, 21-13 in 47 minutes. This came a day after terrific comeback win over top seed Chou Tien Chen.
Tanvi Sharma's fantastic tournament, however, ended with a runner up finish after a three-game battle against top seed Beiwen Zhang which she lost 11-21, 21-16, 10-21 in 46 minutes. The unseeded 16-year-old, who was playing her first World Tour final, faded after forcing a decider. She couldn't keep up with the physicality after a gruelling week, but it was one that showed what tremendous potential she has for the future of Indian badminton.
The men's singles final started on an even keel till 6-6 before Shetty took the lead when Yang overhit and brilliantly extended it to 9-6, with a superbly angled floater. The Indian went into the interval at 11-6 , winning five straight points to set the tone for the match.
Yang reduced the lead to 13-11 and the match got much cagier in the second half with multiple errors. The third seed Yang caught up at 16-16, which was the Shetty's moment of jeopardy but he won the next few crucial points with well-placed shots.
The difference between them was just a point before Shetty got to game point with a stunning jump smash winner on the line and held his nerve well to convert.
The second game was not much of a competition as Shetty did enough to stay ahead throughout. He raced to a 7-2 lead, but Yang caught up at 6-7 to make things tight once again. But Shetty maintained his control on shots and thereby the rally, taking a 5-point lead into the interval again.
With his variations, defence and smart shot selection, he maintained his lead 17-12 and didn't allow Yang to build any rhythm on his attempts to attack. Shetty got to seven championship points with a deft one-two, cross-court punch and needed just the one to win in style -- a snazzy, smash winner.
His celebration was rather sedate, but after many near-misses for India's most consistent men's singles player this year, a World Tour title seems like a natural progression.
In the women's singles final soon after, the uber-talented Sharma started on the attack from the get-go but against a player more than double her age, it was experience that won out. In her first World Tour final, she took time to settle as Zhang raced to a lad of 11-5 at the interval.
Tanvi was sharper on resumption, making it 12-8 with some wonderful strokes, especially on cross court points where she could find empty pockets and drill winners. But the 34-year-old Zhang had all the momentum as the Indian lost her first game all week.
Yet, you could see the teenager grow into the match as she came out blazing in the second. She took a 4-0 lead, forcing errors and pumping herself up every point she won. From 6-2 to 9-4, she built her lead. There was a 31-shot rally, which was unusual for this match of quick points, won by Zhang by pushing her in a corner, literally and figuratively.
Top seed Beiwen Zhang ���� puts Tanvi Sharma ���� to the test.#BWFWorldTour #USOpen2025 pic.twitter.com/EVYgWluA46
- BWF (@bwfmedia) June 29, 2025
But Sharma kept at it and had a slender two-point lead at the interval 11-9. Zhang caught up at 11-11and inched ahead as Sharma overhit her shots. The next few points were thinly balanced before the Indian took a two-point lead with deft, shot soft near the net. Even a lucky net cord for Zhang at 18-15 didn't affect her focus as she got game points and converted by making Zhang stretch and hit wide.
Shot-making, placement and staying in rallies by playing that extra shuttle back were the key to forcing the decider.
But it was back to advantage Zhang at the start of the decider. The teenager's physicality and body language slumped after errors and the toll of widening gap -- and all the matches she had en route her first BWF World Tour final -- started to show. Zhang also started spotting her lines accurately, going into the interval with a sizeable 11-4 lead.
Sharma's movement started fading visibly as the gap reached double digits at 16-6 and it was only a matter of time before Zhang clinched it. Nonetheless, Sharma has a lot of positives to take from this week, which will help her put the finishing touches to her potent week.