Hong Kong Open : Ayush Shetty Defeats World No. 9 Kodai Naraoka

The Rising Star Ayush Shetty, turned out to be a bit too intense for the World No 9 from Japan, as the Indian triumphed with scores of 21-19, 12-21, 21-14, countering a clever strategy of parallel play set up by Kodai.

Ayush, who is just 20 years old, was probably one of the best shuttlers in the world, yet he couldn’t qualify for the World Championships due to a late surge in his ranking, despite having good results over the summer.

He clinched the US Open title and reached the semifinals in Taipei and Orleans, but unfortunately, he missed the qualifying deadline for Paris.

The tall player from Mangalore not only secured his first senior title in 2025, but he also achieved some confidence boosting victories against notable players like Kidambi Srikanth, Chou Tien Chen, Lee Chia Hao, Rasmus Gemke, Toma Popov, Brian Yang, Jason Gunawan, and even Loh Kean Yew – all of which are crucial milestones on his journey upward.

Additionally, he has demonstrated the ability to bounce back and defeat opponents he previously lost to in quick succession, indicating rapid improvements.

Kodai was bound to feel the pressure of the big stage sooner or later.

Ayush scored an impressive victory in just 64 minutes against Taiwanese player Su Li Yang in Round 1 at Hong Kong.

He arrived there after a solid 40 day training period, although he would have preferred to be in Paris, stirring things up a bit.

However, when he faced off against a big name like Kodai, who is ranked World No 9.

Ayush picked up right where he left off on Tour, making it to his first ever Super 500 quarterfinal.

Kodai has been notoriously difficult for top Indian players to defeat.

His record stands at 5-2 against Lakshya Sen, 6-1 against HS Prannoy, 4-0 against Kidambi Srikanth, and 6-0 against Priyanshu Rajawat.

The last time an Indian managed to beat the Japanese player was back in June of 2023.

On Thursday at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon, Team Ayush’s calculations on the conditions were a bit off.

But he really showed some grit by adapting and improvising to secure the win.

Kodai, who was seeded fifth, came out swinging, which was quite unusual for the Japanese player known for his soothing harp like tenor that usually puts opponents to sleep before he strikes. But against Ayush, he was on the offensive right from the start.

The Indian player really excelled at adapting to the unexpected twists – he managed to find the right length quickly enough to edge out the opener 21-19.

However, an early mistake was letting Kodai take control at the net, since the Japanese player is known for being one of the best at front court play.

Kodai was getting to the net faster and easily countering Ayush’s dribbles.

In the first round, Su Li Yang had done just that, but Kodai showcased some amazing cross shots to counter the dribble, using some impressive fosbury flop angles.

As the Japanese player pushed Ayush back and diagonally, one of the Indian’s notable improvements became evident.

While backpedaling, Ayush has gained good balance and control over his strokes, which is helpful when he needs to step away from his usual position at the net.

He’s moving back, he can execute a powerful cross court smash that helped him pull ahead to 18-16, although he did have a mishap with a service into the net at 16-16.

But just in time, he pulled off a big straight smash over his head, clinching the opener 21-19 and forcing Kodai’s forehand into submission.

In the next set, from the slower side, Kodai felt right at home. He not only picked up on the big attacks but also showed he was sharper at the net, slicing under Ayush’s net tumbles and never letting him find his rhythm.

Kodai took the second set 21-12, but Ayush had the green light to go for it, since Kodai doesn’t have a strong finishing smash.

Ayush has displayed impressive composure over the past couple of days. Just yesterday, he switched racquets mid-rally to clinch the point.

In the decider against Kodai, at 3-1, he managed to keep a rally alive for three more shots even after his strings broke, and he even pulled off a quick flat smash winner.

Kodai was still working his magic at the net, but at 13-5, Ayush made his persistence pay off with a swift backhand slash for a net kill, successfully pushing the Japanese player back. There weren’t a ton of long rallies, but Ayush has a solid game.

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India’s leading players, Lakshya Sen and the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, also made it to the quarter finals.

Sen managed to overcome a determined yet waning HS Prannoy with scores of 15-21, 21-18, 21-10, while Satwik and Chirag had to adjust their strategy to fend off the energetic Thai pair of Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul, winning 18-21, 21-15, 21-11.

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