Karnataka found its newest badminton hero in Ayush Shetty, who won the prestigious U.S. Open title at Council Bluffs, Iowa. The 20-year-old Ayush became the first Indian to win a men’s singles title since Lakshya Sen’s victory at the 2023 Canada Open. Consistent showing Ayush’s maiden international triumph came on the back of consistent showings in previous tournaments, where he upset top-tier players like Loh Kean Yew and Kidambi Srikanth. The turning point in Ayush’s journey came when he moved to Bengaluru from Karkala around eight years ago. Ayush, keen to pursue the sport seriously, got to work under the guidance of former international shuttler Krishna Kumar at i-SPORTS academy. Ayush performed well at the junior level, and then moved to Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. With Olympian Vimal Kumar and head coach Sagar Chopda as mentors, Ayush grew in stature. He won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships, and finished as runner-up in a couple of international challenge/series tournaments. Ideal platform Sagar believes that this win will serve as the ideal platform for Ayush to achieve greater deeds. “Before this, he had not won a single international tournament. Considering that, this big win will be a good confidence boost,” Sagar said. Sagar added that these are the first steps towards realising Ayush’s big goal — to break into the top-10 in the world rankings. Ayush’s grand run received praise from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who posted a congratulatory message on X. “You have made Karnataka and India proud with your dedication and grit. Your triumph inspires every young aspiring player to dream big and strive hard.”