India’s Ayush Shetty produced one of the biggest upsets of the opening round at the Malaysia Open Super 1000, defeating Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia in straight games to storm into the men’s singles round of 16 in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Fellow Indian Lakshya Sen also began his campaign on a positive note with a hard-fought victory.
The young Shetty, who has been steadily rising on the international circuit, needed just 39 minutes to register a commanding 21-12, 21-17 win over the Malaysian star in the round-of-32 clash. Fresh from his title win at the US Open Super 300, Shetty looked confident and composed as he dismantled his higher-profile opponent with sharp attacking play and controlled rallies.
The win marked a significant moment in Shetty’s career, as Lee Zii Jia is a former All England champion and one of Malaysia’s most celebrated players. Currently ranked world No. 144, Lee was playing his first tournament since the China Masters in September after returning from injury. Despite the straight-games loss, the Malaysian showed flashes of his class but struggled to match Shetty’s pace and precision.
Shetty now faces a major challenge in the round of 16, where he is set to take on top seed Shi Yu Qi of China.
Lakshya Sen, meanwhile, was tested far more severely in his opening match but displayed resilience to come through. The 24-year-old Indian defeated Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-16, 15-21, 21-14 in a gripping contest that lasted 70 minutes. Sen started strongly, lost momentum in the second game, but regrouped well in the decider to seal the win.
A world championships bronze medallist in 2021 and currently ranked World No. 13, Sen has enjoyed a solid run of form over the past season, including a title at the Australian Open and a runner-up finish in Hong Kong. He will next face Lee Cheuk Yiu in the round of 16.
India’s women’s singles challenge, however, suffered an early setback. Malvika Bansod, returning to competition after a six-month break due to a left knee injury, went down 11-21, 11-21 to seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon, a former world champion, in the opening round.
In men’s doubles, the experienced M R Arjun and young partner Hariharan Amsakarunan also exited the tournament after losing 10-21, 20-22 to Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita.
Overall, the day belonged to Shetty and Sen, whose victories kept India’s men’s singles hopes alive at the prestigious Malaysia Open.
