Tokyo [Japan], September 2 (ANI): Prannoy HS, India’s solely medal hope on the Japan Open, crashed out within the quarterfinals on Friday.
The ace Indian shuttler fought valiantly towards his Chinese Taipei opponent TC Chou, successful the second set, however finally misplaced the sport in a three-set thriller 17-21, 21-15, 22-20.
Playing in his consecutive quarterfinals, Prannoy sought redemption within the Japan Open, after crashing out within the quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships in August.
Facing the sixth-ranked badminton participant, the Indian expert nice badminton expertise all through the sport, taking part in delicate web photographs mixed with ferocious physique smashes.
The scoreline of the primary set could not recommend it, but it surely was a carefully contested set with Chou managing to get himself collectively and managing his nerves. Chou made use of minute lapses of focus within the set by the Indian, bagging the primary set.
Not able to throw within the towel but, Prannoy got here again with a bang within the second set, securing consecutive factors early within the set. The Chinese Taipei participant had no solutions to the stainless precision with which the Indian performed. Aggression blended with accuracy served as the right recipe for the Indian to clinch the second set, levelling the sport.
In the third set, the viewers was handled to an distinctive play of badminton with each the gamers determined to advance to the semifinals. Both of the gamers dived throughout the court docket to avoid wasting factors and had been cheered on for every level they saved or scored.
With the group behind them, the gamers reached a stage once they had been each tied on 20 factors within the third set. A Prannoy flick serve went lengthy to present Chou the lead after which the Indian faltered with a web shot going vast to verify the previous World Number Two a spot within the semifinals.
Chou will now face Y.Q. Shi of China on Saturday for a spot within the finals. (ANI)