To defeat an Olympic champion is no mean feat: BAI secretary lauds HS Prannoy for beating Viktor Axelsen in World Championship

Sanjay Mishra, General Secretary, of the Badminton Association of India (BAI), heaped praise on HS Prannoy, who advanced to the semi-final of the World Championship.

On Friday, August 25, Prannoy pulled off a massive upset by beating Viktor Axelsen 13-21, 21-15, 21-16 in the quarterfinal. It's pertinent to note that Axelsen was the reigning world and Olympic champion.

Prannoy looked under pressure after losing the opening game before staging a stupendous turnaround. He also avenged his defeat against Axelsen in the quarterfinal of the Japan Open earlier this year.

The BAI secretary also backed Prannoy to bring India a medal from the Paris Olympics to be held next year.

"I am personally very excited to see Prannoy’s progress. He had some amazing victories and it’s no mean feat, to defeat an Olympic Champion and ensure a medal for the country," Mishra was quoted as saying.

"Entire India will be cheering for him to turn the color of his medal," he added.

The victory over Axelsen also meant that India have been guaranteed a medal in the men's singles.

Earlier this month, Prannoy advanced to the final of the Australian Open where he lost to China's Weng Hongyang in three sets.

He will now look to make amends and win the World Championship. On Saturday, August 27, Prannoy will lock horns with Thailand's Kunlavut Viditsarn in the semi-final.

While Prannoy is still in contention to win gold, India had bad news in doubles after the pair of Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty failed to make their way through to the semis.

They lost 18-21, 19-21 to the Danish pair of Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Kim Astrup. Prannoy remains the only hope for India after the likes of PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen were knocked out of the competition.