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The Japan Open was in full swing in Tokyo as shuttlers competed for a spot in the quarterfinals. The eyes of Indian badminton fans, however, were stuck on court 3.
Here, star player HS Prannoy and former World No. 1 Srikanth Kidambi had their swords drawn against one another to make it to the quarterfinals of the Japan Open. Fans waited with bated breath to see who would make it out on top of this all-Indian encounter.
The match was off to a strong start, with both players making minimal mistakes. Despite a strong offense from Prannoy, Srikanth was the one who went into the interval with a one-point advantage. While Prannoy made a quick comeback post the break, Kidambi eventually won that game 21-19.
However, that didn't last for long as HS Prannoy dominated the second game from the very beginning. Using the stick smash he is famous for, Prannoy took the interval for the second game with a lead of seven points. Capitalizing on the advantage, he went on to win the second set 21-9, bringing him a step closer to the Japan Open quarterfinals.
While Srikanth tried everything in his power to turn things around in the decider, it just wasn't meant to be. Prannoy looked unstoppable as he claimed the win and closed the game 21-9.
The whole encounter fell short of an hour by just three minutes, giving fans across the globe quite the marathon match. While viewers would have hoped for a decider that went down to the wire, Prannoy's aggressive gameplay was quite the treat to watch.
With this, Prannoy moves on to the quarterfinals, where he will face world number 1, reigning World and Olympic Champion, and first seed Viktor Axelsen. This will indeed be an engrossing match to watch, and fans of Prannoy will hope for a repeat of the 2022 World Tour Finals where he beat the Dane in a three-game match.
Prannoy looks for redemption at the Japan Open
2023 has blown hot and cold for Indian badminton star Prannoy. The shuttler looked like he got a good start to the year with a quarter-final finish at the Malaysia Open in January.
After this, he suffered multiple first-round losses at the India Open and Indonesia Open, before reaching the pre-quarters of the All England where he lost to Anthony Ginting.
Things seemed to be turning around for the Indian post the All England, as he claimed his first title of the year at the Malaysia Masters in May.
Now, Prannoy will be looking to add another feather to his hat, and fans will be cheering with fingers crossed as he battles to secure his place at the semifinals of the Japan Open.
