Ayush Shetty faces Shi Yu Qi in the men’s singles final of the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 in Ningbo, China, on Sunday afternoon, as he aims for the biggest title of his young career so far, against one of the most dominant players in the circuit over the last couple of years. You can follow all the action right here on our live blog at ESPN:
It’s been a week of dreams for Ayush, right from the first round, when he came through an intense match with an excellent win against China’s Li Shi Feng. Post that, Ayush has registered three more wins against higher-ranked players, with Jonatan Christie and Kunlavut Vitidsarn his last two scalps in the quarterfinals and the semifinals.
That win over Vitidsarn in the semifinal in three games has already meant that Ayush has done Shi Yu Qi a favour this week, with the Chinese now returning to his spot as world no.1, having been overtaken by the Thai player for the last few weeks.
Ayush has played some excellent, aggressive badminton in the last week, and will have to consistently play the same way in the final to try and beat a player who finally seems to be showing signs of returning to his absolute best, following injury.
Last month, India’s Lakshya Sen beat Shi Yu Qi in the first round of the All England Championships, in what was a famous result for him. Ayush will be looking to do the same as the only Indian ranked higher than him in men’s singles did last month.
