In Ningbo, China, Indian badminton player Ayush Shetty delivered the most significant triumph of his career by overcoming Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, the world No. 4, to reach the men’s singles semifinals at the Badminton Asia Championships on Friday. The 25th-ranked Indian maintained steady pressure on his higher-ranked rival through persistent returns and powerful smashes, securing a 23-21, 21-17 win in an intense quarterfinal match. Shetty, who holds the title of US Open Super 300 champion, is set to face Thailand’s top-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn next, the silver medalist from the Paris Olympics and 2023 world champion. In their initial encounter, Shetty demonstrated strong tactical readiness under the guidance of coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, who previously coached Christie. The Indian player kept pace with his opponent, disrupting him with precise angles and solid defense. Shetty took early leads of 2-0 and 5-3 before Christie gained the upper hand, forcing him back and using quick exchanges to lead 6-5. The Indonesian varied his speed and directions, building pressure on the tall Indian to reach 9-6 and hold a three-point advantage at the break. The 6-foot-4 player from Mangalore responded effectively, closing the gap swiftly. However, several mistakes allowed Christie to pull ahead to 14-11 and 16-13. Shetty then induced errors from his opponent, who miscalculated distances and hit out of bounds while targeting the edges, though Christie maintained a narrow 18-16 edge. Shetty fought back to 18-18 following a net mistake and an out-of-bounds shot from Christie. The Indonesian gained two game points after Shetty’s long return, but the Indian countered with a strong straight smash and a precise net shot to tie and then secure a game point. Christie saved one with a diagonal smash but netted the following shot and hit wide, giving Shetty the first game. After switching sides, Shetty adopted a more offensive approach, employing diverse smashes to lead 5-2. Christie leveled at 5-5 and 6-6, but a serving fault gave Shetty the edge. He built a two-point lead at the interval after another Christie error and extended it to 13-9. As Christie struggled with his rhythm, Shetty advanced to 17-13. A momentary lapse let the Indonesian narrow it to 16-17, but the Indian regained momentum with a forceful smash. Christie closed to 17-18, but another sharp smash and a long return earned Shetty three match points, which he clinched when Christie hit into the net.
