Ayush Shetty Battles Hard but Falls Short as Indians Struggle at Denmark Open

It was a tough day for Indian badminton at the Denmark Open Super 750 tournament on Tuesday, as young shuttler Ayush Shetty and several other Indian players bowed out in the opening round despite moments of spirited resistance.

World No. 30 Ayush Shetty, one of India’s brightest emerging talents, pushed France’s Toma Junior Popov to the limit in a gruelling 77-minute encounter before losing 19-21, 21-17, 15-21. The 20-year-old, who captured his maiden Super 300 title at the U.S. Open earlier this year, showed admirable grit against the world No. 15 Frenchman but ultimately fell short in the decisive moments.

Shetty produced a strong second game, maintaining consistent rallies and tactical depth to level the match and force a decider. However, Popov’s composure and superior net control proved decisive in the third game. This defeat marked Shetty’s second straight loss to Popov, following their previous meeting at the Malaysia Masters in May.

“It was a close contest. Ayush played with great energy and confidence, but Popov’s experience at crucial points made the difference,” a team source said after the match.

The disappointment continued in the women’s singles, where world No. 46 Anmol Kharb struggled to find rhythm against Indonesia’s seventh seed Putri Kusuma Wardani, losing 9-21, 14-21 in just 34 minutes. Wardani’s relentless pace and precision left the young Indian little room to counter.

India’s doubles pairs also endured a rough outing. In men’s doubles, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K went down 13-21, 17-21 to the Chinese Taipei duo of Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han, who dominated both games with aggressive play.

The women’s doubles pairing of Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi suffered a heavy defeat against Bulgaria’s experienced Stoeva sisters, Gabriela and Stefani, who breezed through 21-4, 21-11 in just 24 minutes. The Panda sisters, Rituparna and Swetaparna, also exited early after losing a hard-fought three-game encounter to Scotland’s Julie Macpherson and Ciara Torrance, 23-21, 17-21, 15-21.

Despite the disappointing start, Indian hopes remain alive as top-ranked Lakshya Sen and the men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are set to begin their campaigns on Wednesday. With the tournament still in its early stages, India will look to bounce back strongly through its senior stars.