Kuala Lumpur, Jan 6 (.) India’s Ayush Shetty made a strong start to the 2026 season by defeating Paris Olympic medallist Lee Zii Jia in the first round of the Malaysia Open.

Ayush defeated the experienced shuttler 21-12, 21-17 in just 39 minutes in the Super 1000 event being played at the Stadium Axiata Arena here.
The Karkala native, who had a stellar year in 2025, looked calm and composed while playing his naturally aggressive game against Lee.
The 20 year old won the US Open in June last year and finished the season with a quarter-final finish at the Australian Open, results that have significantly boosted his confidence on the tour.
Playing in front of his home crowd, Lee struggled to match the intensity and pace set by the Indian shuttler. The Malaysian was returning after a long injury layoff and was lacking match rhythm.
Lee, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 2024, played in only five tournaments in the 2025 season due to fitness problems. Ayush’s performance has once again underlined the growing confidence in his ability. The young Indian was compared to Viktor Axelsen in his early years in the Indian badminton world. Especially for his aggressive nature and physical presence(6 feet five inch height) on the court. He is widely backed to break into the top 20 of the world rankings by the end of the year.
Ayush will now face a tough challenge in the second round when he takes on top seed Shi Yuqi of China as he looks to continue his impressive start to the season.
Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen secured a thrilling win over Jia by a score of 21-16 15-21 21-14 in 70 minutes.
The 24-year-old Sen, currently ranked world number 13, will next face either Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu or sixth seed Christo Popov of France.
In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod lost 11-21 11-21 to seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
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