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India's top two men's singles shuttlers, HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen, will cross swords in a blockbuster first-round clash at the Malaysia Open 2023 in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
World No. 8 Prannoy recently became India's No. 1 shuttler in the men's singles category after Sen slipped three rungs to No. 10. Having met three months ago at the Denmark Open, the two are set to welcome the new season with an exciting showdown with each other.
HS Prannoy vs Lakshya Sen: Head-to-head and prediction
Sen has a slender lead of 3-2 in his head-to-head against Prannoy. Interestingly, all five of their meetings have so far come in 2022.
Sen edged Prannoy in three games in their first-ever face-off at the India Open in January. He went on to repeat the result, this time in straight games, at the German Open in March.
Prannoy earned the bragging rights in their next two encounters. He first pulverized Sen in straight games at the Indonesia Open before winning a three-game battle at the BWF World Championships.
Sen had the last laugh in 2022 when he won in straight games at the Denmark Open.
Prannoy was the most consistent men's singles shuttler from India last year. He finished as the runner-up at the Swiss Open and made the quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships for the first time. The Keralite also reached the semifinals at the Indonesia Open and the Malaysia Masters.
His exploits earned Prannoy a place in the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals, where he upset World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen.
Sen, too, made a dream start to the 2022 season but couldn't hold on to it. He won the Commonwealth Games men's singles gold and the India Open, besides finishing second-best at the All England Open and the German Open.
The 21-year-old has roped in former Olympian Anup Sridhar in a bid to get ready for the tough 2023 season, which is crucial for the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification. The youngster has suffered a first-round exit in his last two tournaments. It remains to be seen if the tie-up with Sridhar can help him get off to a roaring start.
Facing Prannoy, who is coming off a stellar season himself, isn't the easiest task. However, the 30-year-old does tend to blow hot and cold during matches. If Prannoy can't contain his errors under pressure at crucial junctures of the match, he could concede a massive advantage to his young compatriot.
HS Prannoy vs Lakshya Sen: Date and time
The seventh-seeded Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy will square off in the men's singles first round at the Malaysia Open 2023 on Wednesday.
Date: January 11, 2023.
Time: Approx. 2 pm local time/11.30 am IST.
HS Prannoy vs Lakshya Sen: Where to watch & live streaming details
The Malaysia Open 2023 is being broadcast live in India on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. Matches can also be watched on Voot Select.
Live streaming is available on YouTube on BWF.TV in selected territories as well. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software here.
