Ayush Shetty Shines, Rankireddy-Chirag Exit Indonesia Open Due to Injury

Ayush Shetty (PTI Photo)

It was a mixed day for India at the Indonesia Open 2026, with young shuttler Ayush Shetty producing a stunning comeback win, while star doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty saw their campaign end early due to injury.

The 21-year-old Ayush, ranked World No. 20, bounced back after a one-sided first game to defeat China's World No. 15 Weng Hong Yang in a thrilling opening-round clash.

After losing the first game 8-21, Ayush showed great determination to win the next two games 22-20 and 21-15, sealing victory in 66 minutes.

Ayush looked out of the contest after the opening game but fought back strongly in the second. Trailing 11-15 at one stage, he produced a series of impressive rallies to level the match and force a decider.

The momentum stayed with the Indian in the third game as he took control and comfortably closed out the match.

The Badminton Asia Championships silver medallist will now face Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu in the pre-quarterfinals.

India also had success in mixed doubles, where Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde advanced to the second round with a convincing 21-14, 21-14 win over Chinese Taipei opponents Po-Hsuan Yang and Ling Fang Hu.

There was disappointment for India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

Fresh from winning the Singapore Open title last week, the duo had to retire from their opening-round match after just seven minutes.

The Indian pair were trailing 6-11 against Malaysia's Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing when Satwik appeared to suffer a shoulder problem and signalled discomfort, forcing them to withdraw from the contest.

In men's singles, experienced campaigner HS Prannoy also bowed out in the first round.

He lost a closely fought three-game match to Ireland's Nhat Nguyen, going down 17-21, 21-16, 19-21 despite battling hard to stay in the contest.