New Delhi: India’s Ayush Shetty produced a major upset in Ningbo, China, on Friday, defeating world No. 4 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia to advance to the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Championships 2026.
With this victory, the 25th-ranked Indian shuttler not only moved into the last four but also assured himself of a historic medal finish at the continental event. He became the first Indian men’s singles player since HS Prannoy in 2018 to secure a medal at the Badminton Asia Championships. India’s last medal at the tournament came in 2023 when Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won gold in men’s doubles.
Shetty registered a hard-fought 23-21, 21-17 win over Christie in a closely contested quarter-final encounter. The opening game remained tight throughout, with both players exchanging leads before Shetty held his nerve in the tie-break to edge ahead, according to olympics.com.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with the Indian maintaining a slender advantage before sealing the match with composed and aggressive play to close out the contest in straight games.
Earlier in the tournament, Shetty had already made headlines by defeating world No. 7 and Asian Games champion Li Shi Feng, followed by a win over Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei to reach the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, he will face either Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand or China’s Weng Hongyang.
Shetty remains the lone Indian contender in the tournament, as PV Sindhu exited in the second round and Lakshya Sen bowed out in the opening round.
