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Indian national champions Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy have both confirmed at least bronze medals from the Badminton Asia Championships 2018 by reaching the semi-finals. But can they better the colour of their medals and make it through to their respective finals?
We make an analysis of their chances:
(3) Chen Long (WR #3) vs HS Prannoy (WR #10)
Head-to-head record: Long leads 3-1
Last meeting: Prannoy def Long 21-18, 16-21, 21-19 at the 2017 Indonesia Open
HS Prannoy was the star of the show in the quarter-finals at the continental championships on Friday. Being two points away from a defeat, he stormed back to stun the World No. 2 Son Wan Ho in a gruelling encounter.
That would surely do a world of good to his confidence level, which must have waned following his setback at the Commonwealth Games, where he squandered two bronze medal points.
However, the challenge is a stiffer one now. World No. 3 and Olympic champion Chen Long holds a 3-1 advantage over the Kerala shuttler in their head-to-head meetings.
Besides that, Prannoy has already spent over 3 hours on the court, battling through each of his matches in three games. That could have an adverse effect on him against the Chinese, who should be fresher of the two with nearly 40 minutes less of court time in his last three matches.
Having said that, the former World No. 1 hasn’t been at his accurate best for quite some time and has been struggling for consistency. He failed to breach the quarter-final barrier in his previous two tournaments this year.
If Prannoy can find his attacking game and can keep the errors at bay, he can surely make a dent in Chen’s confidence.
(1) Tai Tzu Ying (WR #2) vs Saina Nehwal (WR #12)
Head-to-head: Tai leads 10-5
Last meeting: Tai def Nehwal 21-14, 21-18 at the 2018 All England Open
At the outset, let’s underline the fact that this is a tough match-up for the Indian. She struggles with Tai’s wonderful deceptions, excellent footwork and exceptional retrieval skills. The head-to-head record itself validates that.
Nehwal has lost her last eight matches to the Chinese Taipai ace, which includes two defeats this year. The Indian hasn’t managed to beat Tai since 2013.
The odds are definitely against the Indian. But Saina has been one to never give up. She has shown much improved movement against Tai in their two encounters this year.
The Indian has been riding on a wave of success coming into this match. She is now on a 13-match winning streak with two gold medals from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
It remains to be seen if that can inspire her to turn the tables on Tai, who has recently relinquished her World No. 1 ranking to Akane Yamaguchi.
Here is all the information you need to know
Tournament name: Badminton Asia Championships 2018
Category: Continental Individual Championships
Points on offer for winner: 9200
Venue: Wuhan Sports Centre, Wuhan, China
Round: Semi-finals
Date: Saturday, April 28, 2018
Schedule of India’s matches:
Men’s singles
(3) Chen Long vs HS Prannoy at approx 1pm
Women's singles
(1) Tai Tzu Ying vs Saina Nehwal at approx 1.45pm
(All timings in Indian Standard Time)
Channel: Live telecast on D Sport
Live Streaming: SmashNation Channel on Youtube
Live Updates: On Sportskeeda
