Ayush Shetty

Ayush Shetty was born on 3 May 2005 in Karkala, Karnataka, India. At about 6'4" he is taller than most singles specialists. He did not dominate every national age-group title, but he announced himself with a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Spokane.

His first full senior seasons moved fast: a Super 300 title at the 2025 US Open, then a 2026 Asia Championships run in Ningbo where he beat multiple top-10 players — including then-world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn — before taking silver against Shi Yuqi. That week made him the first Indian man in the continental singles final since Dinesh Khanna in 1965 and pushed him to a career-high world No. 18.

He also helped India to Thomas Cup bronze in 2026. Coaches at India’s Centre for Badminton Excellence have said his ceiling already matches top-10 company; the next test is turning giant-killing weeks into a stable place in the world’s top 15.

Indian badminton has been waiting on a men’s singles successor who can live in the world’s top 15 the way the women’s side once did with Sindhu and Saina. Shetty’s height and upset habit make him a plausible answer — but only if Super 750 and 1000 weeks stop looking like surprises and start looking like his normal level.