Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty stunned Canada’s Brian Yang by 21-18, 21-13 in the US Open final at Council Bluffs, Iowa, to clinch his maiden BWF World tour title.
The 20-year-old, a 2023 junior world championships bronze winner, defeated the third seeded Yang 21-18, 21-13 in 47 minutes on Sunday to cap off an impressive week, which included a come-from-behind win against top seed Chou Tien Chen in the semifinals.
It was Shetty’s third victory over Yang, having defeated him twice earlier this year at Malaysia and Taipei Open.
Ayush became the first Indian shuttler to win a BWF title this season, hinting at a smooth transition period in Indian badminton. Currently ranked 34th in the world, he put an end to India’s wait for a men’s singles title away from home, clinching the first one since Lakshya Sen’s victory at the Canada Open in 2023.
In the women’s singles final, 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma finished runner-up after a fighting three-game loss to top seed Beiwen Zhang of the United States.
Playing her first World Tour final, the unseeded teenager went down 11-21, 21-16, 10-21 in 46 minutes.
The men’s singles final began evenly with scores tied at 6-6, but Shetty, seeded fourth, surged ahead with a string of winners to lead 11-6 at the interval.
Yang narrowed the gap to 13-11 and drew level at 16-16, but Shetty regained control with well-placed shots to secure the opening game with a decisive jump smash.
The second game saw the Mangalore shuttler race to a 7-2 lead before Yang briefly caught up, but the Indian maintained composure, mixing variations and sharp defence to keep his opponent at bay.
Leading 17-12, Shetty closed out the match with a cross-court punch followed by a powerful smash to seal his maiden World Tour title.
Tanvi also had an impressive campaign in the tournament before being halted by the final hurdle. Tanvi, a member of the Asian Team Championships-winning Indian team last year, scripted a few upsets on her way to becoming the youngest Indian ever to reach a final on the BWF World Tour.
