Latest news with #Prannoy
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
China Open: Prannoy feels the pace of top level rush onto him in 3-set loss to Chou Tien Chen
There is a bit of rustiness when playing badminton at the topmost level that hits you smack, rather than slithers into the system. HS Prannoy might have played and won plenty in his career, but the stop-start nature of sustaining peak performance and dealing with a patched-up body from years of injuries, can suddenly strike mid-match and see plans come apart in a blink. The combined age on the court at the China Open Round of 16 when Prannoy played Chou Tien Chen was 68 – the Taiwanese is 35, two years older than the Indian. But Chou's phenomenal playing rate on the circuit (24 tournaments in last year) is more than any other Top 30 shuttler — beyond inspirational for a cancer survivor. With his incredible fitness, he plays week in, week out, and is extremely challenging early on in any tournament with his consistent Top 5 levels. Prannoy hence couldn't do much after taking a 21-18, 9-7 lead, to stop the freakishly brilliant opponent from maintaining his non-stop form, as he went down 21-18, 15-21, 8-21. Prannoy won the opener, and promptly exhausted his reserves, having come this far in the Super1000 on the back of a stupendous 5 match-point saving win in Round 1. He could hammer flatter smashes down the middle and work in bursts of energy, but Chou only had to pick on his backhand low flank defense, and his resistance would come undone in a stream of 6 consecutive points taken by his opponent to go from 13-13 to 13-19 in the second set. Chou Tien Chen and H.S. Prannoy clash for a quarterfinals spot. 🏸 #BWFWorldTour #ChinaOpen2025 — BWF (@bwfmedia) July 24, 2025 The third set didn't amount to much, but Prannoy highlighted an important form of exhaustion / rustiness / lack of finishing finesse that sets in if you haven't played enough on the Tour. When BWF asked him if the third set was owing to endurance troubles, he said, 'Maybe ..but today I didn't feel it was physical. Because the third game the way it went off, hardly one or two long rallies out there. The kind of play against high quality opponents like this frequently is very important. Then you know what kind of pressure is going to come. Third game first half…' he trailed off, as his 4-11 in decider near flatlined and he was gone in 65 long short-minutes. Chou can do that to opponents – always threaten to come back, always lurk to pounce, always pick on small weaknesses and unleash a flurry to upend momentums, if you are even slightly off your top fitness. 'Hadn't really trained before this week. So considering that a decent performance but really frustrated that probably could have played a little better innthe third set. It just went out in a whisker. Should have made it a little more neck to neck,' Prannoy would tell BWF. The piercing pace aside, Prannoy couldn't find the rhythm in the decider and was a goner soon. 'Probably second game was crucial there,' Prannoy correctly read the situation. 'I was finding it a little tough to play in third set..I was not getting the length at the back all of a sudden. Just felt it was too tight at the net. He was pushing from the net. Credit to him, he put the pressure. Second probably should have kept it a little tighter and made the game longer. But that patch of 5 points (16) from 12-all (13) made a big difference,' he concluded.
India Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
China Open: Satwik-Chirag reach quarterfinals, HS Prannoy crashes out
India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty marched into the quarterfinals of the China Open Super 1000 tournament with a hard-fought straight-game win over Indonesia's Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana on Thursday. However, it was curtains for HS Prannoy in the men's singles after a gruelling three-game and Chirag, the former world No. 1 duo, showcased their trademark resilience and tactical acumen to edge past the eighth-seeded Indonesian pair 21-19, 21-19 in a tightly-contested second-round encounter in Changzhou. The victory came after 46 minutes of intense action and marked yet another solid performance by the Commonwealth Games champions, who are looking to rediscover their rhythm ahead of the Paris match was a test of patience and precision as both pairs refused to give an inch. In the opening game, Leo and Bagas enjoyed early leads at 8-6 and 14-12, but Satwik and Chirag stayed in the hunt. A crucial five-point burst from 14-16 to 19-16 turned the tide in the Indians' favour, and they closed out the game with sharp net play and swift court coverage. The second game followed a similar trajectory, with the Indonesians pulling ahead 14-10. But once again, the Indian pair clawed their way back, levelling the scores at 18-18 before holding their nerve in the final exchanges to seal a confidence-boosting contrast, it was a disappointing outing for world No. 9 HS Prannoy, who went down fighting against Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen. After taking the first game 21-18, Prannoy struggled with the pace and consistency of the sixth seed, eventually losing 21-15, 21-8 in the next two games. The match lasted 65 minutes, with Chou dominating the decider as Prannoy's challenge fizzled Prannoy's exit ends India's campaign in men's singles, Satwik and Chirag's progression keeps the tricolour flying high in doubles. The world No. 3 pair will next face either the Korean duo of Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae or China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in what promises to be another high-voltage clash.- EndsMust Watch
The Hindu
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Prannoy saves five match points to progress, Lakshya Sen exits China Open
Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy saved five match points and clawed his way back from a game down to beat Japan's Koki Watanabe in the opening round of the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here on Tuesday (July 22, 2025). The world No. 35 Prannoy pulled off a stunning 8-21, 21-16, 23-21 win against the 18th-ranked Watanabe. It was a tough day for Lakshya Sen, whose poor run continued as he squandered a one-game advantage to suffer a 21-14, 22-24, 11-21 loss to China's fifth seed Li Shi Feng. "This point in my career, every win matters. I'm happy to be back on tour, small breaks happened here and there. The level of playing has gone really high and winning each round is getting tough day by day," Prannoy said after the win. "The average age has become 22- 23 in the men's singles all of a sudden. Lot of fresh faces and you don't really know what their game is. So, it's tough to be a veteran out there," he added. In the opening game of his match, Prannoy, a former top-10 player and bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships, was never in the contest as Watanabe closed it out with ease. But he bounced back in the second game, forcing a decider with sharper court coverage and better control. Prannoy trailed 2-11 in the final game before picking up five points in a row to narrow the gap. Still, he found himself staring at defeat at 15-20, with Watanabe holding five match points. But the Indian showed nerves of steel, saving five match points before taking a slender 21-20 lead and eventually sealing a memorable win. It was a disappointing outing for Anupama Upadhyay in the women's singles, as she exited in the opening round following a 23-21, 11-21, 10-21 loss to Chinese Taipei's Lin Hsiang Ti. The mixed doubles pairs of A Surya and A Pramuthesh and Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde too lost their opening round matches.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
China Open badminton: How HS Prannoy scripted a stunning fightback to save five match points and win a thrilling first-round match
As the players changed ends in the decider, the scoreboard read 2-11. As the match entered its final stages, the scoreboard read 15-20. Those are not typically scorelines one makes a comeback from. But Indian veteran HS Prannoy produced a comeback for the ages as he beat world No.18 Koki Watanabe 8-21, 21-16, 23-21 in a 57-minute thriller in the opening round of China Open, the year's last Super 1000 event – the top tier of the BWF World Tour circuit. '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 — Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) July 22, 2025 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 — Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) July 22, 2025 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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First Post
22-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
China Open 2025: HS Prannoy pulls off incredible comeback to reach pre-quarters, Lakshya Sen exits
HS Prannoy produced a stunning comeback, saving five match points to beat Japan's Koki Watanabe in the opening round of the China Open Super 1000. Lakshya Sen and Anupama Upadhyay suffered early exits as Indian shuttlers endured a mixed day in Changzhou. read more HS Prannoy has advanced to the pre-quarters at China Open 2025. Reuters Changzhou: Indian shuttler HS Prannoy saved five match points and clawed his way back from a game down to beat Japan's Koki Watanabe in the opening round of the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here on Tuesday. The world No. 35 Prannoy pulled off a stunning 8-21, 21-16, 23-21 win against the 18th-ranked Watanabe. It was a tough day for Lakshya Sen, whose poor run continued as he squandered a one-game advantage to suffer a 21-14, 22-24, 11-21 loss to China's fifth seed Li Shi Feng. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'This point in my career, every win matters. I'm happy to be back on tour, small breaks happened here and there. The level of playing has gone really high and winning each round is getting tough day by day,' Prannoy said after the win. 'The average age has become 22- 23 in the men's singles all of a sudden. Lot of fresh faces and you don't really know what their game is. So, it's tough to be a veteran out there,' he added. In the opening game of his match, Prannoy, a former top-10 player and bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships, was never in the contest as Watanabe closed it out with ease. But he bounced back in the second game, forcing a decider with sharper court coverage and better control. Prannoy trailed 2-11 in the final game before picking up five points in a row to narrow the gap. Still, he found himself staring at defeat at 15-20, with Watanabe holding five match points. But the Indian showed nerves of steel, saving five match points before taking a slender 21-20 lead and eventually sealing a memorable win. It was a disappointing outing for Anupama Upadhyay in the women's singles, as she exited in the opening round following a 23-21, 11-21, 10-21 loss to Chinese Taipei's Lin Hsiang Ti. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The mixed doubles pairs of A Surya and A Pramuthesh and Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde too lost their opening round matches.
