Ningbo (China), April 10: India’s Ayush Shetty produced the biggest win of his career, stunning world No. 4 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia to enter the men’s singles semifinals of the Badminton Asia Championships here on Friday.
The world No. 25 Indian kept his higher-ranked opponent under constant pressure with relentless retrieving and thunderous smashes to script a 23-21, 21-17 victory in a fiercely contested quarterfinal.
Shetty, the reigning US Open Super 300 champion, will next face top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, the Paris Olympic silver medallist and 2023 world champion.
In their first meeting, Shetty appeared tactically prepared with coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, who had earlier guided Christie in his corner.
The Indian matched his opponent shot for shot, unsettling him with sharp angles and disciplined defence.
Shetty led 2-0 and 5-3 early on before Christie wrested control, pinning him to the backline and engaging in flat exchanges to turn it around at 6-5.
The Indonesian continued to vary pace and angles, putting pressure on the tall Indian to move ahead 9-6 and carry a three-point lead into the interval.
The 6ft 4 inch Mangalorean responded well, quickly erasing the deficit. However, a string of unforced errors saw Christie surge ahead again at 14-11 and 16-13.
Shetty then forced errors from his opponent, who misjudged lengths and went wide while attempting to play to the lines, though Christie still held a slender 18-16 lead.
Shetty clawed back to 18-18 after a net error and a wide return from Christie.
The Indonesian earned two game points when Shetty hit long, but the Indian responded with a thunderous down-the-line smash and a sharp net winner to level and then earn a game point.
Christie saved one with a cross-court smash but netted the next shot and then went wide to hand over the game.
After the change of ends, Shetty came out more aggressive, using a variety of smashes to lead 5-2.
Christie fought back to 5-5 and 6-6, but a service error handed Shetty the advantage. He moved into a two-point lead at the interval after another error from Christie and extended it to 13-9.
With Christie struggling for timing, Shetty surged ahead to 17-13. A brief dip allowed the Indonesian to close in at 16-17, but the Indian regained control with a powerful smash.
Christie reduced the gap to 17-18, but another steep smash and a long return gave Shetty three match points, and he sealed it when Christie found the net. (PTI)
