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HS Prannoy saved five match points to beat Japan’s Koki Watanabe in Round 1 of the China Open Super 1000.
HS Prannoy will next face Chou Tien Chen (Picture credit: AFP)
Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy saved five match points and clawed his way back from a game down to beat Japan’s Koki Watanabe in Round 1 of the China Open Super 1000 on Tuesday.
World No. 35 Prannoy achieved a brilliant 8-21, 21-16, 23-21 win against the 18th-ranked Watanabe.
It was a hard day for Lakshya Sen, whose poor form continued as he squandered a one-game advantage, suffering a 21-14, 22-24, 11-21 defeat 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 high, and winning each round is getting tougher day by day,” Prannoy said after his victory over Watanabe.
“The average age has become 22-23 in men’s singles all of a sudden. There are a lot of fresh faces, and you don’t know their game. So, it’s tough to be a veteran out there,” Prannoy added.
In the first game of his match, the star Indian shuttler, 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.
However, Prannoy 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 faced a loss at 15-20, with Watanabe holding five match points.
But Prannoy showcased nerves of steel, saving five match points before taking a slender 21-20 lead and sealing a memorable victory over Watanabe.
Prannoy next faces sixth seed Chou Tien Chen on Thursday.
It was a disappointing outing for Anupama Upadhyay in the women’s singles, as she exited in the opening round after a 23-21, 11-21, 10-21 defeat to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Hsiang Ti.
The mixed doubles pairs of A Surya and A Pramuthesh and Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde lost their opening round matches as well.
(With PTI Inputs)
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