China Open badminton: How HS Prannoy scripted a stunning fightback to save five match points and win a thrilling first-round match
'Lucky,' Prannoy quipped after the match. 'Unexpected, I would say. It doesn't go your way most of the time. I'm lucky to be on the winning side this time.'
There was luck involved for sure, but plenty of grit too. It was the rally at 16-20 in Game 3 that was the first sign that the Indian wasn't going down without a fight. In a nearly 50-shot exchange, Prannoy had a couple of short lifts that could have easily been put away by Watanabe – he just needed the shuttle to hit the court one more time to win the match. But Prannoy somehow stayed alive, won that marathon exchange, and started to believe.
There would be another reflex winner, this time from Prannoy, and the gap quickly vanished, as he won six straight points to go up 21-20. Watanabe saved one match point but the Indian prevailed on his second opportunity to let out a massive roar.
#ChinaOpenSuper1000
In an epic fightback from HS Prannoy, an epic rally. Down 16-20, a nearly 50-shot rally! Second of the five match points saved. And went on to win the match.
🎥 BWF TV pic.twitter.com/lEKIOKSVzX
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) July 22, 2025
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He promptly went on to embrace Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, India's leading doubles player, sitting on the coaching chair for Prannoy this match, and living through the final tense moments with more anxiety than when he is out on court playing with Chirag Shetty.
'I think at this point of my career, each and every win kind of matters. I'm happy to be back on tour, I would say. There have been small breaks here and there. Obviously, the level of men's singles has gone really high. So winning each round is getting tougher day by day,' Prannoy said. 'I think the average age has become 22-23 (of the top players) all of a sudden in the men's singles category. A lot of fresh faces, and you don't know what their game is. So It's tough to be a veteran out there.'
The sporting cliche is that sometimes matches can be of two halves. But this one was one of two ends. From the near side as seen on the official BWF single-camera YouTube broadcast, Prannoy struggled. In the opening game, he was never really in the contest, constantly sending his lifts beyond the backline. He was judging the length wrong, letting shuttles drop inside the court. It was an indication of the 33-year-old not reading the drift correctly.
But once he went to the far side, the Indian was much more in control. The half-smashes were catching Watanabe short, the flatter exchanges from Prannoy had more zing, and his judgment of length was much better. And after a neck-and-neck start to the game, he started to slowly inch ahead after the mid-game break, forcing a decider after winning the second game 21-16.
#ChinaOpenSuper1000
WOW! An epic HSP comeback! 😳
HS Prannoy trailed 2-11 in the decider, he then trailed 15-20, facing FIVE match points. But then pulls off an epic turnaround to beat world No 18 Koki Watanabe for one of his most stunning wins in recent times 🏸
🎥 BWF TV pic.twitter.com/HtXs87DrPg
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) July 22, 2025
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However, the start of Game 3 – as he was back to the near side – was anything but ideal for Prannoy. Once more, the shuttles started missing the lines, and while drift certainly seemed to be playing its part, Prannoy was also guilty of missing his targets while going on the attack. He trailed by nine points at the mid-game interval and despite the control he had shown from the other side, it appeared that the match was firmly heading Watanabe's way.
But Prannoy made a quick start after the interval, reeling off five quick points to start closing the gap. From there, it was a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between him and the 26-year-old Japanese shuttler. Serving at 15-18, Prannoy thought he was about to close the gap to two points when he hit a backhand kill-shot at the net, but Watanabe pulled off a behind-the-back winner with some amazing reflexes; it left Prannoy floored on the court with the racket leaving his hand as he put in a dive. That point could well have been the turning point, as soon after play resumed, Watanabe had five match points. Prannoy, though, had other ideas, pulling off one of the best comebacks of his career.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
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