New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) Ayush Shetty expressed pride and optimism after clinching silver at the Badminton Asia Championships, calling it a “great tournament” that boosted his belief of becoming “the best player in the world,” while acknowledging disappointment in the final and crediting Shi Yu Qi as the better player on the day.

“I think it was a great tournament for me… really happy with the way I played throughout. I had really tough matches, but happy the way I pulled through all of them. As for the final, a bit disappointed… I wanted to finish on a high note, but credit to Shi Yu Qi, he was the better player. Grateful for the silver,” Shetty told IANS.

The 20-year-old Indian, ranked 25th in the world rankings, suffered an 8-21, 10-21 loss against the reigning world champion Yu Qi in the final here at the Ningbo Olympic Center. With his silver medal finish, Ayush became the first Indian men’s singles player since HS Prannoy in 2018 to earn a podium finish at the continental championship.

Ayush’s win over defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the semifinal made him just the second Indian men’s singles player, and third overall, to enter the Badminton Asia Championships final. A win in the final would have seen him emulate Dinesh Khanna, who became men’s singles champion in 1965.

“This tournament gave me a lot of confidence that I can be the best player in the world. The next one would be the Thomas Cup… really excited, and we’ll try our best to bring the trophy home. Beating the best players gives confidence, but I need to work on beating them consistently. Going forward, the target is to be more consistent and play at this level regularly,” he added.

Earlier, PV Sindhu heaped rich praise on Ayush Shetty, calling him a generational talent after the youngster stormed into the final of the Badminton Asia Championships with a stunning victory over World No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

“It feels really great when players like PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy appreciate you… I’ve always looked up to them.”

–IANS

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