New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) India’s Ayush Shetty advanced to the third round of the BWF World Championships 2026 with a commanding straight-games victory over Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.

It took Shetty only 26 minutes to beat Abeywickrama with scores of 21-8 and 21-10 in the second round, following up his earlier convincing win against world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi with another confident performance.

The Indian player began strongly and soon established an 8-0 lead, extending it to 11-3 by the break of play. Abeywickrama had great difficulty countering Shetty’s accurate shots and quick movements, as the Indian player controlled the rallies right from the beginning.

Shetty soon reached the game point at 20-8 and clinched the first game 21-8 in just 11 minutes.

In the second game, the 20-year-old stuck to the same approach, remaining calm as he kept his Sri Lankan opponent under constant pressure. Shetty reached 11 points while Abeywickrama had trouble keeping up with his speed and accuracy.

As the game went on, the Sri Lankan player showed more resistance and did manage to get up to 10 points, but Shetty still kept firm control of the proceedings. He finished the second game 21 to 10 within 15 minutes and thus secured his spot in the last 16.

This win has left Shetty as the sole Indian men’s singles player still in the competition since Lakshya Sen suffered an unexpected defeat in the second round earlier that day.

Lakshya, who was the 14th seed and had won a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships, lost the match after having led by one game against Garret Tan of the USA, the score being 19-21, 21-19, 21-17, and the game lasting 73 minutes.

The 18-year-old Tan mounted a strong comeback after losing the first game and kept bothering Lakshya with his reliable net play and aggressive smashes.

In the decider, Lakshya launched a late fightback and reduced a seven-point deficit to only two points, the score being 10-12, but his momentum was disrupted when Tan received a medical stoppage at 17-15. The American then won four of the next six points and thus achieved a memorable comeback.

With Lakshya’s campaign now completed, Shetty carries India’s hopes in the men’s singles section as he aims to continue his remarkable series of successes on home soil.

–IANS

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