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Journalism of Courage
Ayush Shetty, who has now become India’s No 2 men’s singles player, picked his biggest title of his career to date, by out-peppering the compulsive jump-smasher Brian Yang of Canada.
A glorious, full-blooded cross court smash that travelled the diagonal length of the Council Bluffs court in Iowa mid-central USA, gave the 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 a Super 300 victory at the US Open as he won 21-18, 21-13 in 47 minutes.
Shetty, built like Viktor Axelsen, and playing imperiously like him, punctured hopes of the jumpy Yang, and it mattered little if he was playing from the easier slower side or the tougher faster one.
Iowa is badminton’s far outpost, and the winner’s cheque was literally carrying a drawling scribbled amount of USD 18,000 written hurriedly with a black marker. But this first title will count as extremely precious to Shetty who had lost his last Super 300 final at Taiwan late last autumn.
On Sunday though, there was no denying the Indian, who after pulling out four tricky wins, simply unleashed an unfettered attack, against an opponent who deflated and got defused with what was peppered at him.
Yang’s deep lifts and optimistic clears trying to evade Shetty’s long levered reach, going for the back line, yielded a bulk of points for the Indian. It was both Shetty’s judgment of the shuttle trajectory and Yang’s inability to find the lines that meant the looming figure only had to lure the Canadian into going for that desperate loopy lob which unfailingly drifted out.
Yang can jump, at times compulsively and his smashes do come back at a quick clip, so the pace of the rally is always bustling. But Shetty is far too solid on his net tumbles and extremely accurate on the drops, when he’s not cross-smashing the daylights out of opponents. He would take the lead and keep it, even while the right knee gashed and needed stemming with tape, twice.
READ MORE | At US Open badminton, big-hitting Ayush Shetty ends India’s title drought with straight-games win
All that diving meant he needed medical attention at 16-14. Yang would level at 16-16 when Shetty pulled out a blistering cross court expansive smash with such a whip that he seemed to be right back, as he moved to 19-16.
On 20-18, Shetty was drawn into close dribbles, though it was evident Yang was priming to send one back. The 20-year-old loping giant, has a funny way to track back, it’s like a reverse duck walk, and it’s mighty effective. Within three back dragging steps, he was behind the midcourt and his reflex slap return happily lobbed over Yang to give him the opener 21-18.
In the second, Shetty had a healthy 11-6 lead and made greater use of the short overhead smash, before he needed a medical break a second time around. Yang however had found a chink in the armour going for Shetty’s backhand flank and repeatedly made him twist amd turn, left amd right, getting winners on his far forehand. It helped Yang narrow the gap to 11-13, but Shetty used his swarming body shots to win points in a bunch and negate any leverage Yang fancied holding.
The knee got some bruising from his low dives and Yang pinged him a few times on that backhand trap. But those seemed minor quibble, as the Shetty storm drowned Brian Yang.
