National Times Bureau, June 30, 2025 – Rising Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty secured his first-ever BWF World Tour title with a commanding straight-games victory over Canada’s Brian Yang in the men’s singles final of the US Open Super 300, bringing an end to India’s title drought on the World Tour this season.
The 20-year-old, who won bronze at the 2023 Junior World Championships, defeated third seed Yang 21-18, 21-13 in just 47 minutes on Sunday. Shetty’s triumph capped off an impressive run that included a comeback win against top seed Chou Tien Chen in the semifinals.
This was Shetty’s third victory over Yang this year, following earlier wins at the Malaysia and Taipei Opens.
In the women’s singles final, 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma finished runner-up after a spirited three-game battle against top-seeded American Beiwen Zhang. Playing her first World Tour final, the unseeded Sharma lost 11-21, 21-16, 10-21 in 46 minutes.
The men’s final began on even terms, with scores tied at 6-6, before fourth-seeded Shetty surged ahead to lead 11-6 at the interval. Although Yang closed the gap to 16-16, Shetty regained control with sharp placement and powerful smashes, clinching the opening game.
In the second game, Shetty raced to a 7-2 lead. Despite a brief fightback from Yang, the Indian kept his composure, employing variations and tight defence to maintain the upper hand. Leading 17-12, Shetty wrapped up the match with a decisive cross-court punch and a fierce smash, securing his maiden World Tour title.
Previously, Shetty had reached the finals of the 2023 Odisha Masters Super 100, the 2023 Bahrain International, and the 2024 Dutch Open but had fallen short of a title.
Meanwhile, in the women’s final, Zhang quickly took control, building an 11-5 lead in the opening game that Sharma could not overturn. In the second game, Sharma started aggressively, going up 4-0 and maintaining her edge through longer rallies and forcing errors from Zhang to level the match. However, in the deciding game, Zhang raced ahead 11-4 and closed out the contest comfortably.
Despite the loss, Sharma’s impressive run to the final at just 16 years old signals a promising future for the young Indian shuttler on the international stage.
