In the ongoing Hong Kong Open 2025, the rising Indian star, Ayush Shetty, won the biggest match of his career on Thursday, as he stunned the World No. 9 Kodai Naraoka, marching into the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open. The 19-year-old shuttler defeated the Japanese in the pre-quarterfinals match by 21-19, 12-21, 21-14, shocking the world, and joined the other fellow Indians, Lakshya Sen and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty, in the quarter-finals.
Here are the brief highlights of the game.
Ayush Shetty Stunned the World
The 19-year-old Indian shuttler, who is a former World Junior Championships medalist, Ayush Shetty, has won the pre-quarter-finals clash against Japanese Kodai Naraoka, achieving the biggest win of his career on Thursday. Having impressed the world with his win over Taiwanese Su Li Yang in Round 1 in just 64 minutes, several fans were expecting a win over the World No. 9 as well, also due to his recent form in the previous competitions.
In the game against Kodai Naraoka, Ayush tasted victory with the dominating score of 21-19, 12-21, 21-14, cementing his name and reaching his first-ever BWF World Tour Super 500 quarter-final. Despite winning the first set by 21-19, the Japanese shuttler did not lose hope and made a comeback with 21-12. Following the second set win, Kodai was confident going into the third set of the game.
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However, the 6’4’’ Shetty kept his calm and displayed why he deserves to be in the quarter-finals of the tournament. Due to his involvement in the recently concluded US Open and semi-final appearances at Taipei and Orleans, his confidence was building gradually, waiting for the perfect moment to capitalize and burst against the opponent.
AYUSH SHETTY UPSETS SEED NO.5 KODAI 🇯🇵
– Storms into the Quaterfinals of Hong Kong Open!
INCREDIBLY WELL DONE! 🇮🇳💙pic.twitter.com/ZYoBXkuKCB
— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 11, 2025
Significance of the Win
Following the win over World No. 9 Kodai Naraoka at the Hong Kong Open 2025, it is certain that every opponent has watched out for his ability and potential to win the tournament, that too in a dominant fashion. Having a win over the World No. 9 is itself a big milestone for someone who is just 19 years old, and marching with his first BWF Super 500 quarter-final is another thing.
Not only this, Ayush Shetty has also won over the renowned players like Kidambi Srikanth, Chou Tien Chen, Lee Chia Hao, Rasmus Gemke, Toma Popov, Brian Yang, Jason Gunawan, and even Loh Kean Yew, making his resume stronger than ever in every competition.
Meanwhile, Kodai has proved time and again to be the best player in the world, defeating the players, especially the Indians, with a head-to-head record of 5-2 against Lakshya Sen, 6-1 against HS Prannoy, 4-0 against Kidambi Srikanth, and 6-0 against Priyanshu Rajawat, respectively.
Other Indian Shutlers in the Quarter-Finals
Not only for Ayush Shetty, the Hong Kong Open has been a great tournament for Indian shuttlers, with several players advancing in the quarter-finals, along with Ayush Shetty. Lakshya Sen won the hard-fought game against the strong competitor HS Prannoy by 15-21, 21-18, 21-10, securing his spot in the quarter-finals. Similarly, in men’s doubles, the World No. 9 pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, also advanced to the quarterfinals following the victory against the Malaysian pair, Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap.
These wins signify the dominance of Indian shutters at the world stage, even though the players have not been exposed to major tournaments. Here’s what some badminton audience members have to say on the win of Shetty against Kodai:
However, in the Hong Kong Open, the two Indian shuttlers, Ayush Shetty, will face Lakshya Sen for the semi-finals glory.
Bigyan Samele’s Take
From the writer’s point of view, it is incredible to see how the 19-year-old shuttler Ayush Shetty has been performing at the highest level in the Hong Kong Open 2025, especially against the World No. 9 Kodai Naraoka. The game not only witnessed the potential of Shetty to win the game in a pressurized situation, but also displayed his skill at a level where he is having a neck-to-neck competition with one of the best players in the world.
I am excited to see Shetty’s next game with Sen since both players are known to produce bangers against any opponent that they have met in the past.
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