‘I would take it as a learning’: Ayush Shetty after Badminton Asia Championships final loss

NINGBO (China): India’s young shuttler Ayush Shetty admitted disappointment after losing the men’s singles final to China’s top-seeded and World No. 2 Shi Yu Qi at the Badminton Asia Championships, saying he would take lessons from the defeat.

Speaking after the summit clash, Shetty acknowledged that his opponent was superior on the day and did not allow him to stage a comeback. “For the final, I think I’m a bit disappointed. I really wanted to have a great match, but I think Shi Yu Qi was by far the better player today. He really kept the pressure going, and he never let me come back into the match. But yeah, definitely there are a lot of learnings from this,” Shetty said.

The Indian youngster also highlighted specific areas he needs to improve, particularly his endurance, strength, and shot variation from the back court. “I definitely have to work on my endurance and my strength. Yeah, and again, the variations from the back. Yeah, I think it’s a good lesson for me, and yeah, I would take it as a learning,” he added.

Despite the defeat, Shetty reflected positively on his overall performance throughout the tournament, describing it as a breakthrough week filled with strong performances and hard-fought wins. “I think it was a really good week for me. I had some great wins, and all the matches were really tough. So I think it was a great week for me and I’m really proud of the way I played throughout this week,” he said.

Shetty’s debut run came to an end with a Silver medal at the Badminton Asia Championships as he went down in a tough battle against World No 2 Shi Yu Qi of China, 21-8, 21-10 in the men’s singles final on Sunday. The twenty-year-old created history, becoming the first Indian to win silver at the event and only the first finalist in 61 years in men’s singles.

Shetty couldn’t carry forward his momentum from previous rounds as the experienced Chinese proved too hard for the India youngster. Taking the lead early from game 1, Shi allowed little space for Ayush to fight back. Ayush, who managed to begin the second game stronger with a 5-point lead at 7-2, couldn’t hold the strong start as the Chinese took control once again, equalising the score at 7 all, eventually sealing the victory.

The tournament proved the youngster’s potential and the bright future of Indian badminton as he posed serious threats to the world’s top players, defeating WR 1, 3 & 7 in the way. (ANI)