Facing the No. 1 challenge
Two young badminton players, Ayush Shetty and Kaloyana Nalbantova, faced world-class opponents at the World Championships with varying degrees of success. While Shetty pushed his opponent to a thriller, Nalbantova was defeated in straight games by the top-ranked player.
Why it matters
It provides a human-interest perspective on the development of young athletes competing at the highest level of international sports.
Two players barely into their twenties faced the same daunting task at the World championships: take down a World No. 1. By the end of the day, one had turned it into a three-game thriller while the other discovered how ruthless the world’s best can be.
The 21-year-old Ayush Shetty relishes the pressure and the big stage. Against China’s Shi Yuqi, he raced to 17-6 in the final game and left the Chinese clueless.
Ayush was on the cusp of registering the biggest win of his fledgling career. The defending champion then clawed back. The comfortable lead became a slender one, and the fans experienced nervous moments as Ayush tried to finish what he had started.
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