Did Ayush Shetty Just Pull Off a Shocking Upset Against Lee Chia-hao at the BWF Taipei Open?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Ayush Shetty scored a significant upset against Lee Chia-hao.
- Shetty's victory is a testament to his skill and determination.
- The match showcased the fierce competition present in the BWF Super 300 events.
- India's badminton players are making their mark on the international stage.
- Shetty's future looks promising after this performance.
Taipei (Chinese Taipei), May 7 (NationPress) In a stunning turn of events, World No. 44 Ayush Shetty triumphed over World No. 13 Lee Chia-hao of Chinese Taipei, a recent finalist at the All-England Championships, to progress to the Round of 16 in the Taipei Open, a BWF Super 300 badminton tournament, here on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Shetty clinched the victory in straight games, defeating the third seed Lee 21-17, 21-18 in just 50 minutes on Court 1 of the Taipei Arena.
Former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth also showcased his skills, overcoming compatriot S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian in straight games to reach the pre-quarterfinals as India experienced mixed results.
Srikanth's victory was marked by a score of 21-16, 21-15 in a 35-minute second-round match in the BWF World Tour Super 300 event, which features a prize pool of USD 240,000.
In the women’s singles, Unnati Hooda defeated fellow Indian Anupama Upadhyaya 21-13, 21-17 in the second round. Meanwhile, Tharun Mannepalli triumphed over Japan's Shogo Ogawa 21-17, 19-21, 21-12 in a thrilling 70-minute match. However, the women’s doubles team of Rashmi Ganesh and Sania Sikkandar fell to the Japanese duo of Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara with scores of 8-21, 10-21.
In men's singles, Maisnam Meiraba lost to seventh seed Brian Yang of Canada 23-21, 21-12, while Akarshi Kashyap was defeated 9-21, 12-21 by local star Hung Yi-Ting in a Round of 32 match.
The first game saw Lee take a 6-3 lead, which he extended to 9-5. Both players battled fiercely until 16-16, when Shetty scored five consecutive points to seal the game 21-17.
In the second game, Lee initially led 4-0 and then went up 9-6. However, Shetty rallied to lead 14-12, and despite Lee briefly regaining control at 16-14, Shetty surged ahead again. From 16-17, Shetty took command, scoring five points in a row to secure a 20-16 lead and ultimately won the game 21-18, marking a memorable victory.