You knew Ayush Shetty had arrived when the passage from 17-7 up to 18-14 had Indian fans jumping and wincing at his errors and exhaling with giddy cheers as he edged closer to the 21-point mark. (BAI Photo)The flick-lift was the bait. World champion Shi Yuqi was beat.The game was badminton-chess. It ended with the Delhi World Championships finding a sensational Premier show, as unseeded Ayush Shetty took out defending champ, Shi Yuqi. India has a new boom-box to belt out the bangers. The win though came from a lilting lift.Chinese World No 1, the defending World champion, arguably the most-complete shuttler in men’s singles currently, is known to problem-solve through all riddles. Ayush Shetty’s big booming smash that originates from 8 feet high wasn’t even a cryptic puzzle. It was watermarked on this India-China Round 1 contest the moment the draw threw up an unseeded, dangerous opponent in the Chinese champs path. The 6’4″ Indian was expected to rain down steep scorchers from nose-bleeding altitude.What the Chinese might not have expected was for the Indian to flip the axis. He had rich, deep, screaming smashes alright. It sent Mexican waves of goosebumps through the watching galleries of the Indira Gandhi stadium. But more than the smashes, Ayush had the tactical, tricky, tingling lifts.The bait of a shot that launches the shuttle into an inviting hitting orbit, beckoning Yuqi to slam it down were so tantalisingly elusive in the third aerial dimension that the Chinese was lured into belting it down, but the high lift denied him the sweet-spot to strike it deep. Or even cross the net striking it against the wind. The pressure was bound to build when Yuqi’s smashes got stifled.It was a riveting contest because Ayush had been decimated in the Asian Championship final when exhaustion and incoherent strategy ended things in a whimper. The high-lift was the first course correction. It pushed the world-beating Chinese to the edge.Forcing Yuqi to lift was the prologue to the plan. 3-0 up means little against a shuttler as formidable as Yuqi. But it was in going to 4-1 that the weak Yuqi lift was smothered into the ground with the first of Ayush howitzers. Reading conditions of shuttle trajectory at IG was something Yuqi struggled with totally from one side.Story continues below this adIt also led to a spate of errors on the net where Yuqi’s backhand control tends to be impeccable. He logged at least half a dozen net errors in the opening set at the net.Yuqi was forced into Plan B as early as 7-3 in the first set. He increased the pace mid-rally trying to swamp Ayush. The Indian was up to the task. Not only did he get onboard the flat, fast exchange, unafraid of speed, he ended with a regal cross court smash kill that left Yuqi on one knee.But the Ayush floaters to the backline kept coming and teasing the Chinese and his judgment on the lines. Just to probe his defense ain’t shabby at all, he dove around plenty before inducing a Yuqi error at 9-4. The Indian reached a 11-5 midset lead, with yet another tactical lift, followed by a return that evaded his outstretched forehand. It was a recurring theme to get to 16-9.Yuqi was struggling to digest that both his control-play, the sorts Chinese rely on, with emphasis on rhythm, and his chaos in increasing the rally pace were really not facing Ayush. If anything, the Indian replied in kind of the parallels. When Yuqi’s midvourt lift was punished giving Ayush the opening set, the crowd sensed the new Shetty on the block, was onto something.Story continues below this adThe 21-14 scoreline was impressive. Before the sides switched, Yuqi did most of the talking rather than the coach – flailing his racquet wielding hand. He pulled the midset back 21-13. But the decider promised to be a humdinger.You knew Ayush Shetty had arrived when the passage from 17-7 up to 18-14 had Indian fans jumping and wincing at his errors and exhaling with giddy cheers as he edged closer to the 21-point mark.Yuqi threw everything he had in his consistency repertoire at double clip at Ayush in the closing stages. The rushed pace almost did Ayush in as the score reached 20-19. The man has a penchant for drama. A medical time out, tangled toes, a sitter in the net, Ayush contrived to find every single way to drag this to the edge of the cliff.The final point was neither a steep smash nor a loopy clever lift. It was a tired push- helped in staying in bounds by his tired arm and the winds against him. Winning seemed destiny. A star was born. The Asian Championships final was avenged. The World No 1 was evicted in Round 1. The lift took off sensationally.Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More