Ayush Shetty stuns World No. 4 Jonatan Christie to reach Badminton Asia Championships quarters

India’s Ayush Shetty produced a stunning upset at the Badminton Asia Championships, defeating World No. 4 Jonatan Christie 23-21, 21-17 in Ningbo. The 20-year-old maintained his unbeaten run in the tournament and stormed into the quarterfinals.

Hyderabad: India’s rising star Ayush Shetty delivered yet another major upset, defeating World No. 4 and Olympian Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 23-21, 21-17 at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo (China) on Friday.

Twenty-year-old Ayush, who had won the BWF World Junior Championships bronze medal in 2023, displayed a remarkable performance under pressure. The opening game was a tight contest, with Christie holding the advantage and reaching game point with a two-point lead. Ayush, however, held his nerve, saved two game points, and edged ahead to take the game 23-21.

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The second game saw both players level scores multiple times before Ayush took control at 10-9. From there, the Indian maintained his lead and closed out the match 21-17 in 54 minutes, extending his winning streak without dropping a single game in the tournament so far.

Earlier in the tournament, Shetty knocked out China’s Li Shi Feng, World no. 7, in straight sets, before repeating the trick against Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in the pre-quarters.

Shetty will next face the winner of the clash between World No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn and China’s Weng Hong Yang, runner-up at the China Masters 2025.