In a spectacular showing at the US Open 2025, Ayush Shetty clinched his maiden BWF World Tour title, while Tanvi Sharma finished as runner-up in the women's singles. The tournament, a BWF Super 300 event, was held at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Ayush Shetty, the 20-year-old rising star from Karnataka, secured his first BWF World Tour title with a commanding victory over Canada's Brian Yang in the men's singles final. Shetty, seeded fourth, defeated the third-seeded Yang 21-18, 21-13 in 47 minutes on Sunday, capping off an impressive week. This victory marks the end of India's title drought this season and makes Ayush the first Indian to win a World Tour title this year.
Shetty's path to the title included a come-from-behind win against top seed Chou Tien Chen in the semi-finals. In the final against Yang, Shetty demonstrated clever play, strong defense, and smart shot choices. Despite a minor knee injury during the match, he remained calm and focused, securing the win with a cross-court punch followed by a powerful smash.
Ayush's journey to the final included a win over Danish World No. 85 Magnus Johannesen, followed by victories over compatriot Tharun Mannepalli and World No. 70 Kuo Kuan Lin. His biggest win came in the semifinal against World No. 6 Chou Tien Chen, avenging his loss to Chou in the Taipei Open 2025 semifinal.
Shetty's career highlights include a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships. He was also a runner-up at the Odisha Masters Super 100 (2023), Bahrain International Challenge (2023), and Dutch Open (2024). His playing style has been compared to that of Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, known for being tall, aggressive, and in full control.
In the women's singles, 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma finished runner-up after a three-game loss to top seed Beiwen Zhang of the United States. Playing in her first World Tour final, the unseeded teenager went down 11-21, 21-16, 10-21 in 46 minutes.
Tanvi's impressive run to the final included victories over World Ranks 23, 40, 50, and 58. She displayed fearless performances, defeating second seed Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam and former World Junior Champion Pitchamon Opatniputh of Thailand. In the semi-final, Sharma defeated Ukraine's Polina Burhova in straight games.
Despite losing to Zhang in the final, Tanvi became the youngest Indian ever to reach a BWF World Tour final. Her performance has been described as a dream run, marked by an aggressive style and exceptional variety from the backcourt.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) lauded both Ayush and Tanvi for their performances. Ayush's victory is seen as a breakthrough triumph that cements his arrival among badminton's elite, while Tanvi's dream performance has sparked a new dawn for Indian women's badminton.
