Young Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty produced the biggest win of his career so far at the Hong Kong Open Super 500, knocking out 2023 World Championships silver medallist Kodai Naraoka of Japan in a tense three-game battle to secure a place in the men’s singles quarterfinals.
Ayush’s breakthrough moment
The 20-year-old from Karnataka, who won the US Open Super 300 earlier this year, played fearless badminton to outclass the former world No. 2. He kept his composure in a 72-minute thriller to prevail 21-19, 12-21, 21-14, using his steep smashes and relentless attacking play to unsettle Naraoka.
Ayush, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Junior Championships, will now face his training partner and compatriot Lakshya Sen in the last-eight stage.
Lakshya fights past Prannoy
Lakshya, who has endured an injury-troubled season, booked his first World Tour quarterfinal in six months with a gritty win over senior compatriot HS Prannoy. The 23-year-old rallied from a game down to win 15-21, 21-18, 21-10 and showed glimpses of his top form.
Satwik-Chirag continue strong run
India’s top doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also maintained their fine momentum at the USD 500,000 tournament. Fresh from their World Championships bronze medal in Paris, the world No. 9 duo outclassed Thailand’s Sukphun and Teeraratsakul in three games to progress to the quarters.
With Ayush, Lakshya, Satwik and Chirag all in contention, India enjoys a strong presence heading into the business end of the Hong Kong Open.
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