Badminton News: HS Prannoy's maiden India Open semi-final is a reward for hard work, where the world number 9 had to be at the top of his game in a tough match against Wang Tzu Wei.

It turned out to be a good day for India, with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty destroying the challenges of Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in a tough encounter.

HS Prannoy trailed 5-10 in the third game, but prepared well to stay at bay, remaining attentive to Wang's clever tactical variations.

As he came back to score in 14th place, spurred on by the crowd chanting his name, Prannoy seized his momentum and flew to victory by 21-11, 17-21 and 21-18.

“It was difficult at 5-10. I had to do a lot of things right at that time,” Prannoy said. “Somehow I stayed calm, trusted my defense and after 11 minutes I opened a game that made it difficult for him because I defended well.

HS Prannoy greeted the crowd

“He knows how to score points, he can take points very quickly and you will lose 5-6 points in an instant. Certainly, the public helped with the return. When it was 12-13, I knew I had control of the match.”

“I'm proud of what I was able to do in the third game. Things weren't going well at one point, but to bounce back from that point…the audience helped a lot. It’s great to be able to play in the Super 750 semi-finals.”

“The men’s singles is wide open and we can’t finish it quickly. You just have to be brave enough to win a match like this,” he added.

On Saturday, in the semi-final of the Indian Open 2024, Prannoy will meet China's representative Shi Yuqi.

Article Tag: HS Prannoy, Indian Open 2024