Ayush Shetty announced his arrival on the senior circuit with a breakthrough victory at the 2025 US Open, a Super 300 tournament. The 20-year-old defeated top seed Chou Tien Chen in a thrilling semi-final and went on to beat Canada’s Brian Yang in the final, becoming the first Indian to win a senior tour title this year.
A standout 39-shot rally against Chou highlighted Shetty’s grit and evolving all-court game, with powerful jump smashes and improved net play. His victory earned him strong support from the Indian crowd in Iowa and drew online comparisons to Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.
Originally from Mangalore, Shetty began training seriously after moving to Bengaluru and currently trains at the Prakash Padukone Academy. His rise began with a bronze at the 2023 BWF World Junior Championships, and 2025 has seen him notch wins over Loh Kean Yew, Rasmus Gemke, and Kidambi Srikanth.
Now ranked world No. 31 and India’s second-highest men’s singles player behind Lakshya Sen, Shetty is also pursuing a degree in Sports Science, signaling a well-rounded approach to a promising badminton career.
