Defending champion Shi Yuqi suffered a shock first-round defeat to rising Indian star Ayush Shetty at the world badminton championships in New Delhi on Monday.

World number one Shi of China went down 14-21, 21-13, 19-21 in one hour and 13 minutes to 21-year-old Shetty, who enthralled the home crowd at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

The 30-year-old Shi, who won the previous edition in Paris last year, looked off-colour from the start as the Indian raced to a 11-5 lead and took the first game.

Shi bounced back to take the second game but Shetty – ranked 22nd in the world – held his nerve in a tense decider in his debut at the badminton showpiece.

“The last time I won against him, but since this time the atmosphere of the stadium was also with Ayush that made the change,” Shi said.

Shi added, “even a world number one can make mistakes”.

Standing six feet five inches tall (1.95 metres), Shetty relied on his wide reach and clean smashes to outwit his veteran Chinese opponent.

The crowd cheered every Indian point and despite Shi attempting to make a late comeback as he brought the score down to 15-18 from 7-17, Shetty triumphed.