"Going deeper into tournaments, taking the opportunities" - HS Prannoy assesses his season following Australian Open Badminton final loss

A bitter 9-21, 23-21, 20-22 loss to World No. 24 Weng Hong Yang in the Australian Open Badminton final after having held a match point was a tough pill to swallow for Indian badminton star HS Prannoy. But the ninth-ranked Indian is not letting that dampen his spirits.

Instead, Prannoy wants to look at the positives from what has been the most consistent season of his career so far.

In a conversation with Hindustan Times following the heartbreaking loss in Sydney on Sunday, August 6, the Keralite pointed out how he has been pushing himself and making deep runs in nearly every tournament. He also stressed that he is happy with his physical level.

“Last year we had a few good performances," Prannoy said. "It has got better this year. I am going deeper into tournaments, taking the opportunities, trying to push and convert quarters into semis, semis into finals and finals into titles. Physically I am out there too. Just have to plan tournaments for the next six months.”

HS Prannoy's physical skills and stamina have indeed improved further this year. At 31, he played four three-game thrillers last week in Sydney, with only one match finishing in straight games.

The final was brutal for both HS Prannoy and Weng Hong Yang. It kept oscillating both ways, with the two holding match points before the Chinese finally closed it out after 90 minutes of a high-voltage and energy-sapping battle.

Talking about the high-intensity encounter, Prannoy said:

“It was fun to play the high-intensity match. I didn’t even realize it went on for 90 minutes. We had a lot of Indian supporters, but they were overpowered by the Chinese support for Weng which was huge.”

The biggest highlight of the match was of course an incredible 71-shot rally that came deep in the decider, with Prannoy leading 19-17. It left the two drained and sinking to the court.

Looking back at that lung-busting rally, Prannoy said:

“The rally started off at high pace. Then came a position where he was retrieving all my smashes and attacking my shots. After a very long time my legs started to give up. Looking back, I could have tried different shots, put the shuttle in different directions. But everything doesn’t always fall on your side."

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HS Prannoy to gear up for BWF World Championships next

The Australian Open final might not have gone his way, but HS Prannoy can be proud of his season so far. He clinched his maiden title on the BWF World Tour at the Malaysia Masters in May. The Pullela Gopichand protégé also has a semi-final appearance at the Indonesia Open, along with four other quarter-finals on the tour this year.

Coming on the back of such a productive season, HS Prannoy will be heading to the BWF World Championships full of confidence. The Keralite doesn't yet have a medal from the elite event and this might be his golden opportunity to correct that record when the World Championships get underway in Copenhagen on August 21.