Indian midfielder HS Prannoy defeated former world champion Loh Kean Yew in straight sets, 22-20, 21-19, to book his place in the Japan Open quarterfinals on Thursday (September 1).
In a 44-minute match, Prannoy dealt with quite a few moments of pressure, but he dug deep and came out strong in both games. In the opening match, he saved three game points when he was down 17-20, but with all the courage and classic shots, he won the round 22-20.
In the second game, Loh Kean Yew took the match by storm and gained much-needed momentum by leading 11-4 at the half-game break. The situation seemed tense and difficult on Prannoy’s part, but he fearlessly made a cover-up and eventually tied it at 17 overall. He then charged forward, for which he is famous in Indian badminton.
Both players played some solid badminton shots. Prannoy’s strategic shooting dominance in the front court won him the match and earned him a ticket to another quarterfinal this year.
Prannoy had entered the second round after his opponent Angus Ng Ka Long withdrew midway from the first round encounter due to an injury. Prannoy was, however, leading that game 11-10.
Lately, Prannoy has been in great form as he finished Indian Open, Syed Modi International and German Open in the quarterfinals. He was then the runner-up in the Swiss Open. He also reached the semifinals at the Indonesia Open and Malaysia Masters.
Though he has tasted several wins this year, including his ranking in the Top 20 in the World rankings, he is missing majorly on clinching a tournament title. However, he might likely get in the top position with good form in Japan Open.
Earlier in the tournament, Lakshya Sen received a shock defeat from the hands of Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto and Saina Nehwal also got knocked out in the opening round as she lost 9-21 17-21 to top seed Akane Yamaguchi.
However, there are high hopes from Kidambi Srikanth who is another hope to play big after Prannoy in the Japan Open 2022.