Indian badminton witnessed a spectacular start at the prestigious Malaysia Open BWF Super 1000 tournament in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday, headlined by a stunning victory from young talent Ayush Shetty over a former champion.
Shetty's Stunning Upset Over Former Champion
The day's biggest story was the sensational performance by 20-year-old Ayush Shetty. The fast-rising Indian shuttler delivered a masterclass, completely outplaying Olympic bronze medallist and former All England champion Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia. Shetty secured a dominant straight-games victory with a scoreline of 21-12, 21-17 in a match that lasted just 39 minutes.
From the outset, Shetty controlled the pace of the game, leaving the top Malaysian singles player struggling to find answers. The Indian's aggressive play and sharp movements on court were too much for Lee to handle. This monumental win sets up a blockbuster second-round clash for Shetty against the reigning world and Olympic champion from China, Shi Yu Qi.
Lakshya Sen Advances With Gritty Win
In another positive result for India, Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen also progressed to the next round. Sen faced a tough challenge from Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh but ultimately prevailed in a three-game thriller. The final scores read 21-16, 15-21, 21-14 in Sen's favour after a hard-fought battle.
Lakshya's next opponent will be Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong, who himself pulled off a major upset by defeating World Tour Finals winner Christo Popov of France 13-21, 21-19, 23-21.
Mixed Fortunes for Other Indian Contenders
While the men's singles brought cheer, other Indian players faced early exits. In women's singles, Malvika Bansod was outclassed by Thailand's experienced star Ratchanok Intanon in straight games, 11-21, 11-21. The men's doubles pair of Hariharan and Arjun also bowed out, losing to Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita 10-21, 20-22.
The action continues on Wednesday with big names like PV Sindhu and the world number one men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scheduled to play their first-round matches. The women's doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will also begin their campaign.
This strong showing by the young Indian brigade, especially Ayush Shetty's giant-killing act, signals a bright future for Indian badminton on the global stage. All eyes will now be on his daunting encounter with the world champion and on Lakshya Sen as they aim to go deeper into the Super 1000 tournament.
