PV Sindhu? Lakshya Sen? Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty? At the start of the year 2025 if you were to guess which Indian badminton player will be the first to win a BWF World Tour title, chances are you would have gotten it wrong...
At exactly the half-year mark, 20-year-old Ayush Shetty ended India's BWF drought with a composed win in the US Open Super 300 final. He beat Brian Yang 21-18, 21-13 in an untroubled final, a day after an impressive comeback win over top seed and veteran Chou Tien Chen.
This is his biggest career title so far, coming on the back of a consistent season where he's gradually climbed up the ranks from world no 48 to a new career high of 31. This makes him India no 2 and gives him the chance to enter main draws of all major tournaments. Ayush Shetty is now officially part of the big leagues.
A strapping 6 feet 4-inch player from Karkala in Mangalore, Karnataka, Ayush is still very green in his first proper senior season on the World Tour. And a month after turning 20, he has done more than enough to show he belongs, with this first title.
Ayush has all the elements of a solid game style - his height and wingspan are a major weapon as he rains downs the smashes and overhead winners. He possesses very good variations on that smash too, the cross court angled one being particularly effective. At the same time, he is sharp and deft at the net, which given his height is a huge advantage. His court coverage is athletic, and he can stay in the longer rallies and construct points instead of relying on attack to win it.
At the US Open, all these physical attributes were backed by a strong mentality, where he had to be calm and play composed multiple times when in jeopardy.
The year 2025 has been crucial in his transition from a promising junior to watch out for to a senior with potential. Indeed, he has emerged as the most consistent Indian men's singles player this year. A World Junior bronze medallist in 2023, also won in the US incidentally, he trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bangalore and had Chirag Sen, Lakshya's older brother on the coaching chair for him in US.
Reaching this final - his first at the 300 level - and winning it felt like a natural progression. He had two standout runs to the semifinals in March and May. At the Orleans Masters Super 300, he was the last standing Indian and stood out with wins over former world champion Loh Kean Yew and Rasmus Gemke before losing the semifinal to World No 14 Lin Chun Yi. At the Taipei Open Super 300, he knocked out 3rd seed Lee Chia Hao and compatriot Kidambi Srikanth before going down to top seed Chou in straight games.
Less than two months later, though, he would have his revenge - beating the veteran world No 6 en route his first title. The semifinal against Chou was seminal - Ayush had to fight from a game down to win 23-21, 21-15, 21-14. He had to pull himself together after losing the first game in extra time after squandering a massive lead at 17-11. He had to physically impose himself, especially in the decider which had longer rallies and a match duration he is not fully used to.
He managed that and then got past Brain Yang in the final, where he had some tricky moments in the first game but got in full control by the second. His variations, defence and smart shot selection, didn't allow the attacking Yang to build any rhythm and it was a strong win in the end.
"It means a lot, it's my first title in the senior circuit, so I'm really happy. There are a lot of positives to take away. I played some excellent badminton here," he told BWF media after his win.
"He [Yang] was defending quite well in the first game. I varied my smashes a bit, played some half-smashes and drops and that made a difference. In the first game I was hurrying a bit playing some sharp strokes. In the second game I was more confident, I opened up the game and that made the difference," he said.
As he showed in Orleans and Taipei, Ayush has the ability to learn and improve every match, every tournament, which is vital in your initial seasons on the grind of the BWF World Tour. His game is still developing, and he has much to learn about playing the top tier of players. He'll get those chances aplenty now if he can maintain his ranking in the top 32. And with these chances, he's learnt what cannot be taught by any coach - thinking on court.
Next up for him is the Canada Open next week and then perhaps a wait, as his previous ranking may not have given him entries in the bigger tournaments in Asia. One thing is certain, though. Whenever he plays a major event next, Ayush Shetty will be a player people watch out for.