Badminton News: Indian star player HS Prannoy has been knocked out of the Taiwan Open World Tour Super 300 tournament after suffering a straight two-game quarter-final loss on Friday (6/23).

World number 9 HS Prannoy lost to Hong Kong fifth seed Ng Ka Long Angus 19-21 8-21 in a one-sided match. Going into the match with a 6-5 head-to-head record, third seed Prannoy tied his rival early on, but as the match wore on he lost.

The two badminton players didn’t make much time as they were involved in a close match, leading to a feud in the first part of the opening game. After Ka Long made a service error, Prannoy took a narrow two-point lead at the break.

The Indian scored a hit and missed the next line at 12-12. Prannoy played some good jumps to get out of the situation but the Hong Konger stayed in the hunt as the lead continued to change hands at 19-19. Ka Long then won an exchange consisting of parallel shots to take the game ball and knock it down when Prannoy hit a long shot.

Ka Long continued their momentum in the second game by taking an early 7-2 lead. His returns were more precise and his smashes a little more scathing as he troubled the Indian athlete. The Hong Kong player held a five-point lead at the break after the rally ended with Prannoy’s goal.

Things went downhill for the Indian athlete after making a simple mistake, while Ka Long was more alert and showed more initiative. A weak Prannoy return was quickly dropped as Ka Long took a 17-8 lead. Prannoy tried to increase the speed but failed at the net.

Finally, another backhand from Prannoy entered the net, giving 12 match points to the Hong Kong player, who converted after an error from the Indian at the back.

Article Tags: HS Prannoy, Taiwan Open 2023