Ayush stuns Lin in Asia Championships opener

India’s Ayush Shetty stunned world number 7 Lin Shi Feng of China in straight games to enter the second round of the men’s singles competition at the Badminton Asia Championships on Wednesday.

World number 25 Ayush, who had won the US Open Super 300 title last year, registered a 21-13 21-16 victory in 51 minutes.

Lin raced to a 4-1 lead early on, but Ayush clawed back to level at 7-7 before gradually taking control to pocket the opening game.

After the change of sides, the Chinese again moved ahead 4-1 and extended it to 12-9, but Ayush turned the tide with a six-point burst to surge to 18-13.

Lin closed the gap to 16-18, but the Indian held his nerve to shut the door on his fancied opponent. Dinesh Khanna remains the only Indian to win the men’s singles gold at the continental meet in 1965, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed the doubles crown in 2023.