Ayush Shetty clinches US Open Title, ends India's BWF drought

(July 4, 2025) In a quiet village in coastal Karnataka, a young boy would spend evenings swatting shuttlecocks with his father in their backyard. It was here that Ayush Shetty’s badminton journey began – long before the world took notice. Fast forward to June 2025 in distant Iowa, USA, the same boy – now a 20-year-old towering at 6-foot-4 – stood on a podium with trophy in hand, having just won the US Open Badminton Championships.

This maiden BWF World Tour title wasn’t just a personal triumph; it ended India’s title drought on the senior circuit for the year. “It makes me really happy because not only is it my first title on the World Tour – it’s my first title ever in seniors. I’ve never won anything before, even nationally,” Ayush Shetty admitted after his breakthrough win. In that moment, the kid from Sanoor, who once chased shuttles under open skies, had announced his arrival on the global stage.

Ayush Shetty

Early Life and First Steps in Badminton

Ayush Shetty was born on May 3, 2005, in Sanoor, a small town near Karkala in Karnataka. He was barely eight years old when he first picked up a badminton racquet after watching his father play casually in their yard. Those early backyard sessions with his father laid the foundation for his game. It quickly became evident that Ayush had a special talent and a hunger for the sport. He soon dominated local youth tournaments around his hometown. However, Sanoor’s limited facilities meant that young Ayush often had to travel to nearby towns like Karkala and Mangalore for better coaching.

By age 12, his family made a pivotal decision: they would move to the city of Bengaluru to ensure Ayush could access top-tier training infrastructure. Uprooting the family for a sporting dream was not easy – “The initial few months were tough,” he recalls. Still, this move showed how much Ayush’s family believed in his potential. In Bengaluru, badminton took center stage in his life, with schooling taking a backseat as he chased bigger dreams.

Training Under Legends and Rapid Growth

Settling in Bengaluru proved to be the turning point in Ayush’s budding career. He earned a place at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, a training ground that has shaped many of India’s top shuttlers. Under the academy’s watchful eyes, Ayush’s game matured rapidly. His natural advantages – height and wingspan – became lethal weapons as he learned to smash steep and hard, while also developing surprisingly soft hands at the net. “My dribble was always good at the net, but I used to pick shuttles very low earlier. In the last one year training at PPBA, the biggest improvement is that I’m catching the shuttle higher and striking earlier at the net,” Ayush noted, crediting his academy training for sharpening his all-round game.

Being 6’4” tall invites inevitable comparisons with Danish great Viktor Axelsen – Ayush actually got the chance to train with the Olympic champion during a camp. The experience was eye-opening. “When I practiced with him, initially I always thought he is a great player because of his attack. But watching him I realised he also has a great defence and that was when I started working hard on my defence. Because you need excellent defence, just attack doesn’t help,” Ayush recounted. This lesson helped him improve, teaching him to balance his attacking game with patience during long rallies.

Rising Through Ranks: Early Achievements in India and Abroad

Ayush’s hard work soon paid off. In 2022, he won the All India Junior Ranking tournament in Bengaluru — his first big title in India, proving he was one of the country’s top junior players. The following year, he made his mark globally. At the 2023 BWF World Junior Championships in Spokane, USA, he had an impressive run and won a bronze medal in the boys’ singles, becoming only the sixth Indian male to do so. “Going into the competition I thought I had a chance if I played my best,” he said. He beat Japan’s Yudai Okimoto in the quarter-finals before losing in the semis. That medal showed the world that the tall teen from Mangalore was a rising star.

When Ayush moved to the senior circuit in 2023–24, the competition became tougher, but he continued to impress. He had already won the Denmark Junior International title in 2021. Though he didn’t win a senior title right away, he came close several times, finishing as runner-up at many international events during that period. These close calls only made him more determined. By early 2025, Ayush was quickly climbing the Badminton World Federation rankings. He reached the semi-finals at the Orleans Masters in France and the Taipei Open, defeating top players like former world champion Loh Kean Yew and India’s Kidambi Srikanth. His strong performances helped him rise from world No. 48 to a career-best ranking of 31 by mid-2025, making him the second-highest ranked Indian men’s singles player after Lakshya Sen. More than anything, these wins gave him the confidence that he could compete with the best in the world.

Breakthrough at the US Open 2025

All of Ayush Shetty’s hard work and close calls finally paid off in June 2025 when he won the US Open Super 300 title in Council Bluffs, Iowa. No Indian man had won a BWF World Tour event this year, and Ayush was eager to change that. His performance in Iowa showed how much he had grown as a player. In the semi-final, he faced world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen, a top Taiwanese player who had beaten him earlier in the year. The match was a tough battle. Ayush lost the first game 23-21, even after leading 19-14. But he didn’t let that shake him. “I just told myself, ‘hang in there,’” he said. He bounced back strong, winning the next two games 21-15, 21-14 to reach the final. In one long 39-shot rally, Ayush’s never-give-up attitude had the crowd cheering loudly.

After defeating his toughest opponent, Ayush went into the final against Canada’s Brian Yang with confidence and a solid plan. In the match, the tall Indian dominated with strong jump smashes and smart shot placement, keeping Yang off balance. He won the match in straight sets, 21-18, 21-13, in just 47 minutes. As the win sank in, Ayush—usually calm—broke into a big smile on court. “It means a lot – it’s my first title on the senior circuit, so I’m really happy. There are a lot of positives to take away,” he said. His win made him the first Indian man to claim a BWF World Tour title in 2025 and won him praise from fans across the country.

Personal Grounding and Future Horizons

Even with his quick rise in badminton, Ayush Shetty stays humble and thankful, especially to his family for their constant support. “I come from Mangalore and I can’t put my family’s support into words,” he says. To help him chase his badminton dreams, his mother and younger sister moved with him to Bengaluru, while his father stayed behind for work — a tough choice for the close-knit family. “My dad had to stay alone… while my mother and sister came with me because I had to train here. Even back then, we had to travel 60 km by train,” Ayush remembers. Their support gives him strength and confidence. Off the court, he enjoys spending time with friends and loves eating neer dosa with chicken — a favourite dish from his hometown. These simple things help him stay grounded as he continues to grow on the global stage.

With his first senior title in hand, Ayush Shetty isn’t slowing down. He already has bigger dreams. “My biggest dream is to win the All England. I’ve never been there, but I’ve imagined it often. The Olympics, of course, is everyone’s dream,” he says. To reach those goals, he knows he must keep improving. Right now, he’s aiming to break into the world’s top 20 within a year. Looking at how far he’s come, it’s clear he’s on the right track. From playing in his backyard in Sanoor to standing on a podium in the U.S., Ayush’s journey is built on hard work, talent, and strong family support. He’s part of a new wave of Indian athletes — confident, world-ready, and proud of where they come from. And for Ayush, this is just the beginning.