India's Ayush Shetty produced the biggest shock of the opening day at the BWF World Championships 2026, stunning top seed and defending men's singles champion
Shi Yuqi of China in a dramatic first-round encounter at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.
The Asian Championship silver medallist, who had lost all three of his previous meetings against Shi, held his nerve to register a memorable 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 victory in 73 minutes.
The result is one of the most significant first-round upsets in World Championships history. Shi's defeat also made him the first defending men's singles champion to exit the tournament in the opening round.
Ayush Keeps His Composure in Thrilling Decider
Ayush made an excellent start, taking advantage of Shi's early errors to establish an 11-5 lead at the interval. The Indian continued to attack aggressively and wrapped up the opening game 21-14.
Shi responded strongly in the second game, forcing Ayush into longer rallies and reducing his attacking opportunities. The Chinese star levelled the contest at 21-13 to set up a tense decider.
The 21-year-old Indian displayed remarkable maturity in the third game. Ayush raced to a 16-5 advantage after changing ends at 11-5, but Shi refused to surrender.
The defending champion mounted a stunning comeback, using his net play and deceptive shots to cut the deficit to 18-15. Ayush eventually earned five match points, only for Shi to save four of them.
With the pressure at its peak, Ayush remained composed and converted the fifth opportunity with a deceptive flick to complete one of the biggest wins of his young career.
"I was telling myself to calm down. I was getting a bit nervous because he was really catching up," Ayush said after the match, explaining how he dealt with the pressure during the closing stages.
India's Perfect Start in Delhi
Ayush's stunning victory capped a perfect opening day for the Indian contingent, with all five Indian players and pairs in action progressing to the second round.
MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan began India's campaign with a 21-16, 6-4 victory over Ireland's Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds after their opponents retired.
In women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand comfortably defeated Spain's Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-13.
Former world champion PV Sindhu also began her campaign in impressive fashion, beating Ireland's Sofia Noble 21-7, 21-11.
Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi completed India's clean sweep after overcoming Spain's Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez 22-20, 21-14. The Indian pair staged a superb comeback in the opening game, recovering from 17-20 down to save three game points before winning five consecutive points.
Sindhu Advances Comfortably
Sindhu dominated her opening match from the outset, racing to an 8-0 lead before eventually taking the first game 21-7.
Noble showed greater resistance in the second game and managed to extend several rallies, particularly by pushing the shuttle deep towards Sindhu's forehand. However, Sindhu's superior attacking game kept her in control.
The Indian star produced another decisive burst late in the game, winning eight consecutive points to move from 12-10 to 20-10 before sealing the match with a sharp net dribble. Sindhu will next face Canada's Wen Yu Zhang in the second round.
"It was important for me to get used to the court conditions and see how it is," Sindhu said after the match, adding that she felt the conditions were good.
Other Major Results
Japan's Yushi Tanaka also produced a notable upset, defeating 16th seed Weng Hong Yang of China 21-17, 21-14.
Fourth seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark defeated Malaysia's Dicky Dwi Pangestu 21-19, 21-17, while Japan's 10th seed Kodai Naraoka beat Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen 21-16, 7-21, 21-12.
In women's singles, top seed An Se Young defeated Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova 21-14, 21-13. Fifth seed Han Yue survived a three-game battle against Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour, winning 20-22, 21-13, 21-13, while third seed Wang Zhi Yi defeated USA's Beiwen Zhang 21-12, 21-13.
