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It clearly shows that he does need a few more matches to reach top level after coming back from injury. It is only a matter of time and he is definitely going in the right direction.
Prannoy could not force a decider but he can surely take a lot of heart from his superb fight especially in the second game.
FINAL SCORE: 21-16, 21-19 in favour of Viktor Axelsen
And it all ends here for Prannoy as the second seed wins the game 21-19
Axelsen now has a match point much to Prannoy's dismay
....before of course Axelsen grabs a point to even the scoreline 19-19
And he even leads 19-18
Just like before, he comes back in spectacular fashion to once more level matters at 18-18
One should not count out Prannoy too. After all, he has been World No. 12 in the past.
Looks like the glimmer of hope that Prannoy had, is gone now. Axelsen clearly wanting to end it here - 18-15
Now the points are faster and the Dane back in the lead - 17-15
Finally Axelsen stops the Prannoy charge to make it 15-15
And he even leads 15-14
Guess what! Prannoy has levelled at 14-14!
This is indeed getting more exciting!
And he has closed in to make it 13-14
Prannoy always has to play catch up as Axelsen is the aggressor here.
Axelsen has a 3-point lead now, 13-10
The pattern is similar as the earlier game. Long rallies are becoming more common now.
Prannoy reducing the gap, now it is 9-11
It's now or never for Prannoy! Can he show some magic?
Prannoy is just a mere spectator as the Dane is now ahead 11-7 at the break.
Once more the Dane inching ahead after a slow start.
Prannoy won't make it easy for him. 7-7
And that has given him a lot of confidence. He now even has a slim lead of 7-6
As I type, Axelsen has now made a mini comeback like only he can and they are dead even at 5-5
But for a repeat of that to happen, the Indian needs to keep fighting with the same courage. He needs to win the second game of this match to continue the streak of three-game matches between the two.
How uncanny is that?
Even more notable is the fact that Axelsen has won the deciding game of all his three matches vs Prannoy by the identical score of 21-18
Interesting thing to note is that whenever Axelsen and Prannoy have met, all their matches have gone the distance!
And it is 3-0
Prannoy takes the next point too...2-0
And he starts off on a positive note 1-0
Prannoy did lost the first game but not before showing some of his fiery spirit. He needs to keep believing in himself.
Braveheart Prannoy saves four game points but Axelsen slams shut the opening game 21-16
Axelsen dashed all his hopes as he now leads 20-12 with a bagful of game points!
Can he continue the comeback?
Prannoy wins a massive rally to reduce the deficit to 12-18
Axelsen's defensive game is top notch and it is hard to break down. He leads 17-11
Axelsen now has a 5-point lead as he inches ahead 15-10.
This is slowly going away from Prannoy's grasp. Down 9-13
After the break, he keeps up the pressure on Prannoy, 12-9
After all, he is the European champion and an Olympic medallist!
Viktor raises his game when it matters the most. At the lemon break, it is he who leads 11-9.
And, no surprise it is as we are again deadlocked at 9-9
The lead goes back to the Indian, 8-7
Ralies are getting longer as the second seed is now smartly moving Prannoy around the court.
And the Dane stops the rot to make it 5-7
Prannoy has the advantage now. He grabs 3 straight points to lead 7-4
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With Prannoy's exit, Kidambi Srikanth remains the last Indian standing at this tournament. He will seek a semi-final berth tomorrow when he takes on Marc Zwiebler of Germany.