New Delhi: India’s men’s singles campaign at the BWF World Championships ended on Thursday after Ayush Shetty was beaten by Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the Round of 16 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The 22nd-ranked Indian, who had stunned World No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the previous round, went down 19-21, 11-21 in 45 minutes.
Notably, Alwi had already faced Ayush at the China Open in July, where the Indian had prevailed. This time, however, the Indonesian’s movement created repeated problems, particularly after the opening game.
How did the match progress?
Ayush started positively and appeared capable of taking control when he recovered from 14-18 to move ahead 19-18. However, he failed to convert that advantage. Alwi took control of the situation rather quickly, winning the round 21-19.
The Indonesian then pulled away in the second game. Ayush struggled to find consistency in his strokes and became reluctant to play longer lifts after several shots travelled beyond the baseline. That gave Alwi shorter returns to attack.
Alwi repeatedly went after Ayush’s right hip with body smashes, while his movement around the court made it difficult for the Indian to establish his preferred rhythm.
Sagar Chopda, part of the Indian coaching setup alongside Irwansyah, attempted to address the problem during the mid-game interval. He told Ayush that Alwi was pushing him towards the rear court before waiting for opportunities to bring him forward. However, the advice could not change the momentum. Alwi remained in control and completed the victory in straight games.
The defeat and India’s exit
The defeat ended a tournament in which Ayush had emerged as one of India’s standout performers. He had entered the Round of 16 after producing the major upset against Shi Yuqi and had also reached the final of the Asian Badminton Championships earlier this year.
Now his exit means India are without a men’s singles representative at the World Championships. Lakshya Sen, the country’s highest-ranked player, had been eliminated on Wednesday by American World No. 92 Garret Tan.
On the other hand, Alwi is now the only Indonesian left in the men’s singles draw following Jonathan Christie’s defeat to Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke earlier on Thursday.
