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Ayush Shetty impresses at Hong Kong Open with a racquet switch mid-rally, beating Su Li Yang to reach round two.
Ayush Shetty beat Su Li Yang in three games (Picture credit: Screengrab from X)
Star Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty on Wednesday displayed some brilliant presence of mind as well as speed as he went on to change his racquet during a long rally and eventually went on to win the point, as his opponent’s shot landed wide, in the opening round of the Hong Kong Open.
Shetty was facing Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang, which was the first encounter on the tour between the duo.
Having lost the first game 16-21, Shetty and Yang were tied on 6-all in the second when he pulled off the brilliant move. Having shot a backhand that went deep into the court, ensuring his opponent was busy getting under it, Shetty sprinted to the side of the court, picked up a different racquet and managed to return the shot.
While returning the shot, Shetty also stumbled on the court, but as Yang tried to return it, he too slipped and his shot went wide. Watch the video here:
Shetty won the point and went 7-6 up, to eventually win the close second game 21-19 and push the match into a decider. In the third game, he dominated Yang to win 21-13 and move into the second round.
Shetty will either face fifth seed Kodai Naraoka or Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the second round.
Shetty has had a good season, winning the US Open in June, his first BWF World Tour title. He also finished semifinalist at the Taipei Open in May, losing only to Cjoi Tien Chen in the semifinals.
Shetty also finished semifinalist at the Orleans Masters in March, where he lost to Lin Chun-Yi.
Earlier, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu bowed out, while HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen earned hard-fought victories to advance in the Hong Kong Open.
September 10, 2025, 17:55 IST
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