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Fifth seed HS Prannoy will start his Swiss Open 2023 campaign on Wednesday, March 22, with a tough first-round clash against World No. 10 Shi Yu Qi of China.
Prannoy has enjoyed enormous success at this BWF World Tour Super 300 event in the past. He lifted the trophy in 2016 and finished as the runner-up last year.
However, the World No. 9 hasn't had much going for him so far this year. He reached the quarterfinals in his first tournament of the season — the Malaysia Open. Since then, he has suffered two first-round exits before being knocked out in the second round of the All England Open last week.
Clearly, he has to come up with his best to avoid yet another early defeat.
HS Prannoy vs Shi Yu Qi: Head-to-head and prediction
Shi Yu Qi has a 5-1 lead over Prannoy in their head-to-head. The Indian's only win so far came during the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2016.
Shi Yu Qi has won their last four encounters, with their most recent face-off being at the Indonesia Open 2019, where the Chinese earned a gritty 19-21, 21-18, 22-20 win.
Yu Qi is also a former champion at the Swiss Open, having tasted glory in 2019.
Shi Yu Qi reached as high as the No. 2 spot in the world rankings before he was suspended for the infamous Thomas Cup 2020 semifinal clash, where he retired at match point. He returned to competition in August 2022 and has gradually been making his way back into the top echelons of the sport.
The 27-year-old won two titles at the Denmark Open and the Australian Open last year to pretty much announce himself back as a contender for major trophies.
While Shi Yu Qi struggled in the first couple of tournaments this year, he has gained a lot of momentum in his last few outings. The Chinese made the semifinals at the Indonesia Masters and the Thailand Masters before finishing as the runner-up at last week's All England Open.
Until and unless Shi Yu Qi is tired from his exploits in Birmingham, he should be favored to continue having the upper hand over Prannoy in their rivalry.
Swiss Open, HS Prannoy vs Shi Yu Qi: Date and time
HS Prannoy and Shi Yu Qi will cross swords in the men's singles first round at the Swiss Open 2023 on Wednesday. It will be the 10th match of the day on Court 1.
Date: March 22, 2023.
Time: Approx 5.30 pm local time, 10 pm IST
Venue: St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland
Swiss Open, HS Prannoy vs Shi Yu Qi: Where to watch & live streaming details
The Swiss Open will be broadcast live in India on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels from Thursday, March 23. Hence, there will be no live telecast for this particular match on Indian television.
However, live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV.
Live scores can be followed on the tournament software as well.
