Badminton Asia Championships: Ayush Shetty expressed pride and optimism after clinching silver at the Badminton Asia Championships, calling it a “great tournament” that boosted his belief of becoming “the best player in the world,” while acknowledging disappointment in the final and crediting Shi Yu Qi as the better player on the day.
“I think it was a great tournament for me… really happy with the way I played throughout. I had really tough matches, but happy the way I pulled through all of them. As for the final, a bit disappointed… I wanted to finish on a high note, but credit to Shi Yu Qi, he was the better player. Grateful for the silver,” Shetty told IANS.
The 20-year-old Indian, ranked 25th in the world rankings, suffered an 8-21, 10-21 loss against the reigning world champion Yu Qi in the final here at the Ningbo Olympic Center. With his silver medal finish, Ayush became the first Indian men’s singles player since HS Prannoy in 2018 to earn a podium finish at the continental championship.
