Facing the No. 1 challenge

Two players barely into their twenties faced the same daunting task at the World championships: take down a World No. 1. By the end of the day, one had turned it into a three-game thriller while the other discovered how ruthless the world’s best can be.

The 21-year-old Ayush Shetty relishes the pressure and the big stage. Against China’s Shi Yuqi, he raced to 17-6 in the final game and left the Chinese clueless.

Ayush was on the cusp of registering the biggest win of his fledgling career. The defending champion then clawed back. The comfortable lead became a slender one, and the fans experienced nervous moments as Ayush tried to finish what he had started.

Prophetic

Coach Sagar Chopda had seen it coming. “He is playing in India and on our home court… the pressure is going to be on Shi Yuqi,” Sagar had said before the tournament. It proved prophetic.

The 20-year-old Kaloyana Nalbantova battled it out with the other World No. 1, An Se-young. The Bulgarian had called her opponent “the best” and described the draw as “the hardest first round one can get”.

While Ayush’s match threatened to unravel, Se-young’s barely became a contest. She won in straight games, leaving Nalbantova to admire how far the world’s best were.

The Bulgarian, however, accepted it with no bitterness. “I had the best experience one can have,” she said.