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Ayush Shetty stuns world No 4 Jonatan Christie at Badminton Asia Championships, coach Vimal Kumar hails Indonesia’s passion as Indian star eyes semifinal test.
Ayush Shetty beat Jonatan Christie in straight games at the Badminton Asia Championships (Picture credit: AFP/BAC)
Former India shuttler and Ayush Shetty’s academy coach, Vimal Kumar, has narrated how he found a taxi driver in Indonesia speaking in detail about the badminton scenario in the country, adding that Jonatan Christie is as popular in Indonesia as ace batter Virat Kohli is in India.
On Friday, Ayush pulled off the biggest victory of his career, upsetting world No. 4 Christie to reach the men’s singles semifinals at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo.
Ayush kept his higher-ranked opponent under relentless pressure, combining tireless retrieving with powerful smashes to seal a 23-21, 21-17 win against Christie in a well-contested quarterfinal.
“Jonatan is their No 1 player, like Virat Kohli. Every channel was showing the Asian Championship. Their other players, Alwi Farhan and Ubaidullah, had lost, but this was the big one,” Vimal said while speaking to The Indian Express.
“The following is huge in Indonesia. My taxi driver, an old fellow, recalled matches of Liem Swi King, Rudi Hartono and Prakash (Padukone). The match was yet to begin and I saw it in my hotel room only,” Vimal added.
“First set was crucial and I thought Ayush was a little sluggish. But when it mattered over the last 3 matches at Ningbo, Ayush played good, positive badminton, which was impressive,” Vimal said.
Shetty, the reigning US Open Super 300 champion, will next take on top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, the Paris Olympics silver medallist and 2023 world champion.
The duo have met once before, at the Arctic Open last year, when Vitidsarn beat Ayush in straight games.
In their first meeting, Shetty appeared 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.
April 10, 2026, 5:05 PM IST
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