Abhishek Mishra, New Delhi
After stunning world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in his debut World Championships match in the opening round, Ayush Shetty found himself unable to reproduce the same attacking game against his familiar foe Alwi Farhan of Indonesia, whom he has known since his junior days, as his campaign came to a close at the home World Championships in the pre-quarter-finals.
The two had met just three weeks ago at the China Open, where Ayush had beaten Alwi. This time, however, Alwi came with a more tactical approach and never allowed the Indian to settle into his preferred rhythm. Now the head-to-head stands at 5-3 overall in the Indonesian’s favour.
An unsettled mental block was also visible in the Indian’s game as Ayush did not take any initiative against his junior foe and did not allow himself to go all out. He seemed to be thinking too much between rallies and was more concerned about what Alwi was going to do, waiting for his opponent to make mistakes rather than taking the game to the Indonesian. That mindset somehow became particularly costly in front of the home crowd.
Alwi’s approach was clear going into the match: reducing the angles, keeping the shuttle away from the sidelines and timing his smashes cleanly. That seemed to have tricked Ayush with straight hits, mixing overhead deception with jump smashes.
However, the Indian got an opportunity to change the game as he had trailed after the interval but fought his way back to lead 19-18 and had a chance to take control. But instead of continuing with the aggressive approach that is actually his trademark, Ayush became cautious and tentative around the net and played a couple of hesitant shots in fear of making mistakes, allowing Alwi to take the game.
The second game exposed the problem further. Playing from the better end, all he needed was to be more aggressive and open up the court, but his attack failed to produce the same impact. He struggled to connect cleanly with his hard smashes and his lifts were short, as the Indian failed to give them good length. That allowed Alwi time to execute his half-smashes and body shots so well.
Some of Ayush’s smashes also went wide, allowing the Indonesian to return comfortably. Those missed opportunities appeared to affect Ayush mentally as well, and he was seen misjudging Alwi’s return towards the baseline.
Alwi, however, looked in control and kept targeting the Indian’s backhand, using steep exchanges effectively and forcing Ayush to make mistakes.
“I had my chances but couldn’t convert them, and Farhan was more confident and patient,” the 21-year-old Indian admitted. “I think my lifts were not really good. I didn’t give good lengths. They were falling short and he was converting really well, mixing with the corner attack and other body smashes.”
The young Indian, however, got another lesson: against a tactically superior opponent, the mental shift from reacting to imposing must come first.
“Definitely, there is a lot to learn, especially from this match, as it’s a tough one to digest.”
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