Sai started off well but lost his control of the match midway through the match. His body language too started looking negative as Misha Zilberman started attacking relentlessly.
Not a good Olympic debut for Sai but all is not lost yet. He needs to win the next match in his group to still be within a chance of progressing to the knockouts.
Let's hope Sai wins his next match against Mark Caljouw.
11:00 (IST)24 JUL 2021
MISHA ZILBERMAN DASHES INDIAN HOPES AS HE BEATS SAI PRANEETH 21-17, 21-15
THIS IS THE FIRST WIN FOR MISHA OVER SAI IN 4 MEETINGS!
10:57 (IST)24 JUL 2021
But that's all Sai could do.
Unfortunately Misha has moved ahead to 19-12
10:54 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Finally a couple of good points from the World No. 15.
Sai has closed the gap to 11-15
10:53 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Zilberman continues his progress and has surged to a 13-9 lead now
10:50 (IST)24 JUL 2021
It's 11-7 to Misha Zilberman at the mid-game interval.
10:48 (IST)24 JUL 2021
This match seems to be slipping away from Sai's grip unless he finds his game.
It's 8-5 to Misha now
10:46 (IST)24 JUL 2021
A lot of aggression from Misha and he takes a 5-4 lead
10:44 (IST)24 JUL 2021
It's currently 3-3 in the second game
10:44 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Misha looks highly charged up but Sai's body language doesn't look that positive.
Here's hoping he finds the solutions.
10:41 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Can Sai make a comeback?
10:41 (IST)24 JUL 2021
This is the first game Zilberman has ever taken off Sai in four meetings!
10:39 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Sai saves three game points but it's not enough!
MISHA ZILBERMAN TAKES THE FIRST GAME 21-17
10:38 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Sai produced a couple of fine returns and saves a couple of game points.
Still trailing 16-20
10:37 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Tables have turned!
It's 18-14 to Misha now.
Sai needs to put more power and pace into his shots!
10:35 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Buoyed by it, Misha is now injecting more aggression into his rallies.
It's 15-13 for the Israeli
10:34 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Superb netplay from Misha and we are back to level.
13-13
10:33 (IST)24 JUL 2021
A couple of errors from Misha once again let Sai move ahead to 13-11 after the break.
10:30 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Misha gave his all in a fabulous rally but got stopped at the net.
Sai leads 11-10 at the mid-game break.
10:29 (IST)24 JUL 2021
A HUGE SMASH FROM SAI!
It's 10-9 to the Indian
10:28 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Sai seems to be struggling with the drift in the initial stages of the match.
It's 9-8 to Misha now.
10:27 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Sai has let Misha come back into the game.
A bit of aggression needed from the Indian.
It's 8-8
10:26 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Misha tried for a smash but kept overhitting the shuttle. More attacking intent from the Israeli now.
He has got two points in a row and now trails Sai 6-8
10:25 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Zilberman closed the gap to one point at 4-5 but Sai has once again widened the gap to two points.
It's 6-4 to Sai
10:23 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Zilberman keeps making unforced errors at the start.
He has now handed Sai a 4-2 lead
10:21 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Blazing start for Sai!
He keeps drawing errors from Misha
Sai 3-0
10:20 (IST)24 JUL 2021
What a rally to start the match!!!!
A backhand error from Misha gives Sai the point
Sai leads 1-0
10:19 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Sai reached the semifinals of the Japan Open in 2019 at the same venue. The slow conditions should suit him better.
Here we go!!!!!
10:18 (IST)24 JUL 2021
GUYS, THE MOST-AWAITED MOMENT IS HERE!!!!!
SAI PRANEETH AND MISHA ZILBERMAN ARE ON COURT!
INDIA'S FIRST BADMINTON MATCH OF THE TOKYO OLYMPICS IS ABOUT TO START!!!!!!
10:15 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Sai has a 3-0 record against World No. 47 Misha Zilberman.
Can he make it 4-0 today?
10:13 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo just won their match.
Next up is Sai Praneeth!!!!!
10:13 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Sai Praneeth will be in action on Court No. 2 following the men's doubles match between the teams from Great Britain and Singapore.
10:12 (IST)24 JUL 2021
Guys, not a long wait now to see our first shuttler in action.
SAI PRANEETH WILL BE IN ACTION IN A FEW MINUTES!!!!!!
10:10 (IST)24 JUL 2021
As we wait for the match to start, read our preview of the match here:
All eyes will be on 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Sai Praneeth as he kicks off India's singles challenge in badminton against Israel's Misha Zilberman in Group D at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. The Pullela Gopichand protégé qualified for his maiden Olympics by dint of his world ranking, which is currently 15th.The former Singapore Open winner has forever been a perennial underachiever. But this is Sai's time to shine. He is the only player to represent India in men's singles this time around and will hope to make the country proud.
Hello and welcome to the LIVE blog for India at Olympics in Badminton!
Sai Praneeth will kick off India's individual badminton campaign with the hope of creating history. Never has an Indian male shuttler won an Olympic medal. However, Sai will not have an easy road to the final. He will be the favourite today against veteran Israel badminton player Misha Zilberman.
Do let us know your comments, your analysis of the game as Sai Praneeth begins his Olympic medal quest.
Live Chat
online
You can follow the LIVE UPDATES HERE:
https://www.sportskeeda.com/live/satwiksairaj-chirag-shetty-badminton-doubles-olympics-2021-live-scores-updates-match-commentary?ref=homepage