NEW DELHI, July 1 -- Ayush Shetty has been able to achieve what no other Indian shuttler has managed so far - win a BWF World Tour title in 2025. The deadlock ended when the 20-year-old Shetty stood on the top step of the podium in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Sunday after winning the $240,000 US Open men's singles crown. The second highest ranked Indian shuttler after Lakshya Sen (world No.20), the world No.34 took just 47 minutes to beat third seed Brian Yang 21-18, 21-13 in the final which earned him his third straight victory over the Canadian and the first title of his young senior career. "He has been showing progress this year. If you look at his performances at the Orleans Masters and Taipei Open (he reached both the semis), he did well. In fact, he has beaten some top-level players like (former world champion) Low Kean Yew and Rasmus Gemke. He has been hitting some good form against top players," Shetty's coach U Vimal Kumar told HT from Bengaluru. "But at the US Open, beating (world No.6) Chou Tien Chen, especially in the semi-finals, was very creditable. He could have won in two games because he was up 19-14 in the first game. From there, he lost 23-21. He came back well where I really liked the way he attacked." Playing in the USA has proved lucky for the lanky Shetty. It was in the US two years back that Shetty first made the headlines when he clinched bronze at the 2023 World Junior Championships. He also made the finals of the Odisha Masters and Bahrain International (both in 2023). Last year, having fully made his move to the senior level, Shetty decided to take part in only lower tier events, making the quarter-finals and semi-finals regularly, and eventually the final at the 2024 Dutch Open. "He is 6'4". He has very, very steep smashes," added Vimal. A product of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Shetty trains with Sen and Kiran George, among others....