Ayush Shetty clinched his maiden title on the BWF World Tour on Sunday as he defeated Canada’s Brian Yang 21-18, 21-13 in the US Open final at Council Bluffs, Iowa.
However, 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma went down 21-11, 16-21, 21-10 to top seed and home favourite Beiwen Zhang in the women’s final.
The 20-year-old Ayush, currently ranked 34th in the world, became the first Indian shuttler to win a title this season. He also ended the nation’s wait for a men’s singles title away from home since Lakshya Sen’s triumph at the Canada Open in 2023.
The 47-minute victory over World No. 33 Yang completed a stellar week for Ayush, the World Junior Championships 2023 bronze medallist.
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The fourth-seeded Indian began the tournament with a 21-17, 21-19 triumph over Danish World No. 85 Magnus Johannesen. before taking down compatriot Tharun Mannepalli 21-12, 13-21, 21-15 in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, he registered a 22-20, 21-9 win over World No. 70 Kuo Kuan Lin.
The biggest test for the 6’5” tall shuttler from Karnataka was the semifinal against World No. 6 Chou Tien Chen as he had lost to the same opponent in the semifinals of the Taipei Open. However, despite dropping the opening game, Ayush mounted a strong comeback to beat the top seed from Chinese Taipei 21-23, 21-15, 21-14 in 67 minutes.
Tanvi also had an impressive week even though she fell at the last hurdle against World No. 21 Zhang, 18 years her senior, as she became the youngest Indian ever to reach a final on the BWF World Tour.
World No. 66 Tanvi, a member of the Asian Team Championships-winning Indian team last year, stunned second-seeded Vietnamese Nguyen Thuy Linh 21-19, 21-9 in the opening round. In the second round, she defeated former Junior World Champion Pitchamon Opatniputh of Thailand 21-18, 21-16. The Indian took down Karupathevan Letshanaa 21-13, 21-6 to book her place in the semifinals where she registered a dominant 21-14, 21-16 win over seventh seed Polina Buhrova of Ukraine.
SCORES (Finals)
Men’s Singles
[4] Ayush Shetty bt. [3] Brian Yang (CAN) 21-18, 21-13
Women’s Singles
[1] Beiwen Zhang (USA) bt. Tanvi Sharma 21-11, 16-21, 21-10
