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The quarterfinals round of the BWF World Championships came with two blockbuster matches for Indian badminton enthusiasts.
The double duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost their round of eight, while Prannoy HS advanced to the semifinals with a shock win over world number one and defending champion Viktor Axelsen.
The first of the two matches was the men's doubles between Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty and Kim Astrup/ Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.
The Indians were trying to book their second BWF World Championships medal while the Danish duo were chasing glory on their home court.
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Coming into this match, Astrup and Rasmussen led the head-to-head between the pairs 5-2. The Danish number 11 seeds were on fire, as they jumped to an early lead in the first set. While Rankireddy and Shetty fought back valiantly, Astrup and Rasmussen took the set 21-18.
The second game followed nearly the same pattern, with the 11th seeds taking the lead early. While Satwiksairaj and Chirag eventually evened the score at 16 all, they went down fighting 21-19. This marks an end to the Indian duo's hope of a BWF World Championships podium finish.
A few matches after the men's doubles, men's singles superstar Prannoy HS took to court to fight Danish first seed Viktor Axelsen. Coming into this game, Axelsen led the head-to-head 7-2, but Prannoy had pushed him to three games at their most recent encounter in the Japan Open quarterfinals.
With Prannoy being the last hope for Indian fans, all eyes turned to Court 1 to watch the showdown. Axelsen started the game strong, capitalizing on his signature attack to keep Prannoy at bay. The Dane won the first set 21-13.
The second set saw a distinct shift in the tone of the match. Prannoy started pushing for longer rallies, and errors started creeping in on Axelsen's end. Keeping calm in the intense moments, Prannoy forced the match into a decider with a 21-15 victory.
The third and final game started out as an intense affair, with both players going neck-and-neck. In an intense battle of wills, Prannoy lived up to his nickname of "Giant Slayer" to take home the win 21-16.
This upset marks Prannoy's first-ever semi-final appearance at the BWF World Championships, and guarantees India a medal, with the colour yet to be finalized.
BWF World Championships 2023: Results at the end of day 5 (Indians only)
This is what the scoreboard looked like for India after the day 5 of the BWF World Championships
Men's Doubles
Astrup/Rasmussen (Denmark) beat Rankireddy/Shetty (India) 21-18 21-19
Men's Singles
HS Prannoy (India) beat Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) 13-21, 21-15, 21-16
HS Prannoy will next be in action tomorrow, August 26, against Thai player Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
