New Delhi: India’s Ayush Shetty continued his impressive run at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 by reaching the men’s singles final with a hard-fought victory over world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Indian, ranked 25th in the world, defeated the defending champion 10-21, 21-19, 21-17 to become only the second Indian men’s singles player to reach the final of the continental tournament.
With the win, Shetty also became the third Indian overall to make the final at the championships. Dinesh Khanna won the men’s singles title in 1965, while the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the men’s doubles crown in 2023, according to olympics.com.
Shetty had already secured a podium finish after entering the semi-finals, becoming the first Indian men’s singles player since HS Prannoy in 2018 to achieve the feat.
In the semi-final, Shetty dropped the opening game but responded strongly in the second. He built an early lead and held his nerve despite a late fightback from Vitidsarn to level the match. In the deciding game, the Indian again took control early and maintained his advantage to close out a memorable victory.
Officials noted that the win marked Shetty’s first victory over Vitidsarn in two meetings and added to his series of impressive performances during the tournament.
Shetty’s campaign began with a major upset over world No. 7 Li Shi Feng of China. He then defeated Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei before overcoming world No. 4 Jonatan Christie in the quarter-finals.
The 2025 US Open champion will now face the winner of the semi-final between Shi Yuqi of China and Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei in the final.
