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Indian badminton star HS Prannoy will face top seed and World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen on Friday, July 28, in his bid to reach the semi-finals of the Japan Open 2023.
Seeded eighth at this Super 750 tournament in Tokyo, Prannoy knocked out the reigning All England Open champion Li Shi Feng 21-17, 21-13 in his opener on Tuesday. He then ground out a 19-21, 21-9, 21-9 win over his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth to reach the last eight.
Prannoy has been India's leading men's singles shuttler for a few months now. The World No. 10 has lifted a solitary trophy at the Malaysia Masters this year and has also made the semi-finals at the Indonesia Open.
Apart from these, the Keralite reached the quarter-finals at the Malaysia Open, the Badminton Asia Championships and the Taipei Open as well.
The 31-year-old will hope to ride on his confidence to knock out the planet's best shuttler when they meet on Friday.
Japan Open 2023, HS Prannoy vs Viktor Axelsen: Head-to-head and Prediction
Axelsen has proved to be a formidable opponent for Prannoy in the past, as evidenced by his 6-2 lead in their head-to-head. The Indian's two wins came in three games each at the Indonesia Masters 2021 and the BWF World Tour Finals 2022.
In their most recent showdown at the Indonesia Open 2023, the Dane ran away to a 21-15, 21-15 win.
Axelsen is arguably the best men's singles shuttler of the present generation. The Odense-born player has two Olympic medals, including a prestigious gold in Tokyo and a bronze in Rio. He has twice been the world champion, including last year.
Axelsen was affected by a muscle strain this year which saw him pulling out of a few tournaments. He, however, resumed winning as soon as he returned to the tour.
The 29-year-old has collected trophies this season at the Indonesia Open and the Malaysia Open and was the runner-up at the India Open. Axelsen also won the gold medal at the European Games.
At the ongoing Japan Open, Axelsen has swatted aside Lin Chun-Yi 21-17, 21-10 and Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-19, 21-10 to reach the quarters.
Clearly, beating Axelsen could prove to be an uphill task for HS Prannoy. But the Pullela Gopichand protégé is known to be a fearless fighter. If he can go all out and maintain his composure under pressure, keeping his unforced errors in check, he could be within touching distance of causing a huge upset.
Read: Japan Open 2023: Preview, schedule, where to watch & live streaming details in India
Japan Open 2023, HS Prannoy vs Viktor Axelsen: Date and time
HS Prannoy will square off against Viktor Axelsen in the men's singles quarterfinals at the Japan Open 2023 on Friday in the seventh match of the day on Court 1.
Date: July 28, 2023
Round: Quarter-finals
Time: Approx. 2.30 pm local time; 11.00 am IST
Venue: Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Japan Open 2023, HS Prannoy vs Viktor Axelsen: Where to watch & live streaming details
This Japan Open match will be broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. It will also be shown live on the Jio Cinema app.
Live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV too. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.
