Ayush Shetty beat former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth 19-21, 21-16, 21-12 in the French Open first round in Paris on Wednesday, closing the decider with seven straight points from 14-12. He now meets sixth seed Kodai Naraoka, who advanced when Lakshya Sen withdrew.
Paris, France: An all-Indian first-round draw guaranteed one casualty, and for a game and a half it looked like the more experienced man would survive. Srikanth, a former world No. 1, took a tight opener. Ayush then turned the match around and ran away with it, leaving India with one more name in the men’s singles draw on a day of mixed results.
Srikanth takes the first game
The opening game went to Srikanth 21-19 after a closely contested exchange. Ayush’s response was immediate. He took the second game 21-16 to level the match and shift the momentum his way.
The decider turns at 14-12
The third game began badly for Ayush, with Srikanth building an early lead of four points. Ayush clawed it back and led 11-9 at the change of ends. Srikanth stayed close, and the score stood at 14-12 when the match swung for good. Ayush won seven straight points from there and closed the game 21-12.
A week on from Odense
The win is a welcome change from last week’s Denmark Open exit, where Ayush lost in three games to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the first round. It also came on a day when PV Sindhu survived a three-game thriller while others exited, and after Satwik-Chirag’s first-round loss to the Popov brothers.
Naraoka awaits
Ayush’s next opponent is Japan’s sixth seed Kodai Naraoka. The seed reached the second round without hitting a shuttle, because Lakshya Sen withdrew before their scheduled match and gave him a walkover. Ayush will take a three-game win into that meeting after fighting back from a game down against Srikanth.
Men’s singles, first round: Ayush Shetty (India) beat Kidambi Srikanth (India) 19-21, 21-16, 21-12. Next: Kodai Naraoka (Japan, 6), second round, after a Lakshya Sen walkover. Competition: French Open 2026, Paris.
