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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
World C'ships an opportunity for Lakshya to turn things around: Coach Vimal
CHENNAI: The season so far has been an immense slog for badminton ace Lakshya Sen. Victories have been at a premium and the shuttler, despite his unarguable talent, has largely been at sea while trying to navigate high-intensity matches inside the court. But that narrative can change in no time. With the all-important World Championships in Paris around the corner, Lakshya will be hoping to buck the trend. With the gold-standard event in mind, the shuttler from Almora is currently training in Paris alongside some of the elite French players. The Indian, who celebrated his 24th birthday on August 16, will be returning to a venue — Porte de La Chapelle Arena — where he had narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal last year. Having said that, he has also tasted success there, having reached the semifinals of the French Open in summer last year. And the Indian had shown some form during his last outing — Macau Open, gaining crucial match-practice in the process. However, he has to be near-flawless from the onset during the BWF Grade 1 event — scheduled to be held from August 25 to 31 — as he will be facing China's Shi Yu Qi, who has been one of the standouts of the season so far with four titles to his name. The odds are clearly stacked against Lakshya but a victory against the World No 1 shuttler could just be the kick he needs. U Vimal Kumar, Lakshya's coach at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), concurred. "It's an opportunity (for Lakshya). That's what I told him the moment I saw the draw. He said everything is going well. Shi Yu Qi is someone whom he has beaten before. The top-30 players who'll be playing in the event, Lakshya has beaten all of them. He can beat any of them but he has to convert his chances. The top guys are also vulnerable and they'll be under pressure. Shi can also be under pressure. He knows Lakshya's strengths and it's going to be a tough match. If Lakshya can play fearlessly and pull off a win, it will be a good breakthrough," Vimal told this daily. Lakshya this season has either struggled to get his engine burning, going by his early exits or he has seemed to be lacking ideas during the business end of sweat-dripping matches. Vimal, who has been regularly looking to motivate his ward, said that is the issue that he's trying to address at the moment. "He needs match-practice. Training is not new, he has been doing that for long. He has been looking to work on dealing with different situations, how you employ yourself and pull off wins. He has been faltering in those closing stages. That is an area that they're trying to get better at, to understand when to push the pace, when to keep the shuttle in play without making mistakes when under pressure. That he can only gain in the practice that he's getting over there as there are quite a lot of other elite players who're also practising there. He has to figure things out, everything can't be coached."
New Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Ayush has the potential to become next Lakshya Sen or even better: Junior coach
CHENNAI: The wait is finally over for Indian badminton. In the wee hours (IST) on Monday, shuttler Ayush Shetty pulled off a noteworthy victory at the Mid America Centre in the USA. The 20-year-old from Karnataka captured India's first title of the season on BWF World Tour. The lanky shuttler, who stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall, capped off his eye-catching run in the US Open, a Super 300 event, with a straight-games (21-18, 21-13) win over Brian Yang of Canada in the final. Given the current landscape of Indian badminton, Ayush's title is massive. Ayush is one of the youngsters who's looking to establish himself at the elite level. Known for his booming smashes, something that he employed regularly to trouble his opponents in the US, Ayush has been showing signs of promise for some time. After a rocky run at the start of the season, he had beaten former world champ Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in March and has been on the ascendancy since then. People who have seen him up close are not surprised by his latest exploits. Krishna Kumar S, who groomed Ayush during his junior days, is stoked with the youngster's run. Krishna spotted him during a State (Karnataka) meet in Udupi and brought him to train at his academy (i-SPORTS) in Bengaluru. Even during his salad days, there was something special about Ayush. "He joined us when he was 11. He was really dominant in the U-13 category in Karnataka. Even then, he was quite tall and his net game and other badminton skills were really extraordinary compared to other players in the state," he told The New Indian Express. But it was a different tale at the national level. "At the national level, at that age, he didn't have the fitness initially. He was a small boy, of course, and very tall. His lower body was not that strong compared to the other players. But later when he became U-15 and 17, he really picked up his fitness levels. His height was a big advantage and his net game and smash was something that made him stand out from the rest." That's when Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), where Ayush currently trains, came into the picture. i-SPORTS has a tie-up with the PPBA and Ayush, around the time when he was 17, moved to PPBA with ambitions to elevate him to the next level. "So when we shifted him, he had plenty of potential, he could do whatever possible and from there onwards, his journey has been really good. Now, he is really tall and one of his major assets is his smashes, his finishing. It's not that easy to finish rallies at the international level. He has the potential to hit hard, in good angles and finish rallies," the former India international said. Apart from his strengths, Krishna felt Ayush, who is a bronze medallist at the Junior World Championships, has improved on his weaknesses and said that he could potentially follow the footsteps of his seniors. "His defence was a concern but now he has improved quite a bit. I think PPBA has worked really well on that aspect of his game also. For me, I think he will be India's next Lakshya Sen or even better than that," he noted. "If he maintains the tempo without any injury, he can definitely go on to become a big name in badminton." Another important aspect that stood out for Krishna was Ayush's level of confidence. Ayush is not afraid of losing, according to the coach. "He looks very quiet, but inside he is like a volcano. I know because I have sat with him for more than 50-60 matches. Even as a young kid (at Under 13-15 level), he was full of confidence. Other kids would become really nervous but Ayush was built differently." At the PPBA, Ayush has been working under the guidance of Sagar Chopda. Chopda, who's the head coach at the famed-badminton centre, said that Ayush had been digging deeper during training sessions, something that has led to improved returns. "In terms of the win, this is very important as this is his first international title. He has been consistent in the last few months and this should be a huge confidence booster for him," Chopda said. "He started (season) off a little slow. But he has picked up his game in the last five tournaments or so. He got that belief when he beat Loh Kean Yew. The potential was there but he wasn't getting those wins before that. The wins against Loh and Lee Chia Hao in the Taipei Open were very good performances. In the training, he himself has been putting in more effort and he has been very sincere. In the last few months, he has realised that his fitness levels need to improve if he wants to play back-to-back tough tournaments. A lot of credit also goes to the trainers, who have planned his training sessions," he said. Ayush's smash and his build are clearly his strengths and Chopda said that he has been looking to refine other finer aspects of his game. "When he came to us (PPBA), he was 17. I had seen him during his U-17 days, he had a huge build for his age and his smash was his big weapon. In the junior level, a big smash will help you win a lot of points. He won the junior world championships bronze medal as well. He has been consistently working on other aspects like his retrieving ability, his defence, which still needs a lot of improvement. He has been in the Indian circuit for quite some time but he has now started doing well at the international level as well." The Indian badminton fraternity would be hopeful that this is just the beginning for Ayush. Road to US Open title Rd of 32: bt Magnus Johannesen 21-17, 21-19 Rd of 16: bt Tharun Mannepalli 21-12, 13-21, 21-15 Q/F: bt Kuo Kuan Lin 22-20, 21-9 S/F: bt Chou Tien Chen 23-21, 21-15, 21-14 Final: bt Brian Yang 21-18, 21-13
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Ayush has it in him to be a top-10 player: Coach
Having turned the corner by claiming his first major international title at the US Open on Monday, Ayush Shetty has emerged as the next big thing in Indian badminton. The Karnataka shuttler, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) here, has it in him to break into the world top-10, PPBA head coach Sagar Chopda said. 'Ayush's initial target was to be a top-25 player by the end of the year. With these kind of performances, this is definitely within his reach. In the long term, Ayush is a world top-10 player for sure. He has a very bright future,' Sagar told The Hindu on Monday. Sagar explained that Ayush's self-belief has built steadily in recent months, after semifinal appearances in the Taipei Open and Orleans Masters. Ayush's fine net game and fearless approach counts as his strengths, Sagar said. 'He has a good net game and a solid smash. With a good net game, he creates a lot of openings with a good tumble. And post that, his smashes are really, really sound. While a lot of players have to develop this, Ayush always had it in him. And he's not scared to hit. Even if he loses a point, it's okay with him,' Sagar said. Sagar also said Ayush must continue to work on his defensive game - a key element in combating the world's best. Born in Karkala, Ayush moved to Bengaluru as a pre-teen to pursue the sport seriously. He initially trained at i-SPORTS, before joining PPBA in 2021. 'A lot of credit goes to (i-SPORTS Founder and Head Coach) Krishna Kumar for shaping Ayush into what he is today,' Sagar said. The task ahead for Sagar and other coaches is to mould Ayush into a consistent world-beater. 'All of us just have to keep working with him. This win is a good confidence booster for him going forward,' Sagar said.
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
US Open-winner Ayush has potential to break into world top-10, feels coach
Having turned the corner by claiming his first major international title at the U.S. Open on Monday, Ayush Shetty has emerged as the next big thing in Indian badminton. The Karnataka shuttler, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) here, has it in him to break into the world top-10, PPBA head coach Sagar Chopda said. 'Ayush's initial target was to be a top-25 player by the end of the year. With this kind of performance, this is definitely within his reach. In the long term, Ayush is a world top-10 player for sure. He has a very bright future,' Sagar told Sportstar on Monday. Sagar explained that Ayush's self-belief has built steadily in recent months, after semifinal appearances in the Taipei Open and Orleans Masters. ALSO READ: Ayush Shetty wins maiden title, Tanvi Sharma finishes as runner-up Ayush's fine net game and fearless approach count as his strengths, Sagar said. 'He has a good net game and a solid smash. With a good net game, he creates a lot of openings with a good tumble. And post that, his smashes are really sound. While a lot of players have to develop this, Ayush always had it in him. And he's not scared to hit. Even if he loses a point, it's okay with him,' Sagar said. Sagar added that Ayush must continue to work on his defensive game - a key element in combating the world's best. Born in Karkala, Ayush moved to Bengaluru as a pre-teen to pursue the sport seriously. He initially trained at i-SPORTS, before joining PPBA in 2021. 'A lot of credit goes to (i-SPORTS Founder and Head Coach) Krishna Kumar for shaping Ayush into what he is today,' Sagar said. The task ahead for Sagar and other coaches is to mould Ayush into a consistent world-beater. 'All of us just have to keep working with him. This win is a good confidence booster for him going forward,' Sagar said. Related Topics Ayush Shetty
