Last week, after winning a silver medal in the Badminton Asia Championships, Ayush Shetty made it into the top 20 of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings. The rising badminton star is now ranked World No. 18, the highest he has ever been.

The rankings, which came out on Tuesday, show that Shetty finished second in the continental tournament in Ningbo last week. His performance was a big step forward, as he became the second Indian man to reach the final of the event since Dinesh Khanna won gold in 1965.

After the result, Ayush Shetty moved up seven spots. The jump shows that he is becoming more consistent on the international circuit. It also shows that India is getting better at men's singles beyond its well-known players.

The timing of this rise is very important to Shetty, as the Asia Championships are still one of the toughest competitions outside of the Olympics and World Championships. And, he has moved up in the global rankings by doing well under pressure against top-ranked opponents.

However, Shetty isn't the only Indian to make it in the BWF top 20 rankings.

Lakshya Sen Holds Firm as India Builds Depth around Ayush Shetty

Shetty got a lot of attention, but Lakshya Sen also moved up the rankings. He moved up one spot to World No. 11, which means he is still the only other Indian in the top 20.

The 24-year-old won the BWF Australian Open Super 500 tournament last year by beating Yushi Tanaka and was recently a finalist in the All England Open tournament. In the last seven years, the player has won six titles, including being a finalist four times.

Shi Yu Qi won gold at the Badminton Asia Championships and became World No. 1 again.

Sen's steady play keeps India's men's singles run on track. Even as younger players like Shetty move up the ranks, his presence near the top keeps things stable.

In the most recent rankings, there isn't just one or two names that Indian men's singles players rely on anymore. Instead, it is seeing a slow rise in talent that can compete at the highest level, with competition getting tougher at the very top.

Read more at the Ace Badminton Community!

Written by

Chitrak Mukherjee

Edited by

Rudra Dubey