Shogo ogawa

Australian Open BWF Super: Ayush Shetty and Lakshya Sen marched into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open Super 500 on Thursday, setting up a tantalising all-Indian clash in Sydney, even as senior campaigners H.S. Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth bowed out early.

Ayush, who has been steadily rising through the ranks after clinching the US Open Super 300 title earlier this year, produced one of the biggest wins of his young career. The 20-year-old stunned fourth seed and world No. 9 Kodai Naraoka 21-17, 21-16 in a gruelling 68-minute contest, marking his second straight victory over the Japanese star this season.

In a tight opening game that swung both ways, Ayush held his nerve from 18-17 to pocket three straight points. He then shifted gears in the second game, pulling away from 14-all with a five-point burst to seal the match.