Indian Open 2024 Badminton: Priyanshu Rajawat stuns Priyanshu Rajawat to meet HS Prannoy in second round
World number 9 HS Prannoy dished out a compact match to edge Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen 21-6 21-19 in a 42-minute match.
New Delhi: Talented shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat shocked Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen in an all-India match to join HS Prannoy in the second round of the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Tuesday. Rajawat, world no. 30, rallied from a game down to beat an erratic Sen, ranked 19th, 16-21 21-16 21-13 in a 75-minute opening round here. It was Sen's second consecutive first-round exit, further jeopardizing his chances of Olympic qualification.
Prannoy, India's world number 9, dished out a compact game to outpace Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen, who was ranked 13th earlier in the day, 21-6 21-19 in a 42-minute long match at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall. Prannoy will face Rajawat in the second round.
“The planning was correct in the first match. I made good shots from the back of the field. He couldn't get the length right so I had to wrap it up,” Prannoy said after the match. “In the second game he increased the speed and finished a lot of shuttles from the back, but I was happy to fight back from 11-16 and towards the end I played the right game.
“It was important to finish it in two games because when it's the third game it's always a tough one because he (Chen) continues with his experience.” Prannoy got into a good rhythm early on, mixing in his half smashes, drops and throws from the back court.
Chen had difficulty negotiating the length of the shuttle that Prannoy played and ended up making too many mistakes. The Indian soon took an overwhelming 11-2 lead at half-time. He continued to dominate the rallies while Chen eventually meekly surrendered the opening match.
By the time Prannoy took the field, a small crowd had gathered and chants of “HSP” and “India” filled the air in the stadium. Prannoy, who had been quietly going about his business until then, started celebrating his lust for points in the second game, which had started right away.
However, he was trailing 11-16 when Chen stepped up and started playing some good shots across the court from the back. Just when it looked like the match would be decisive, Prannoy fought back to level at 16-16 with an accurate net result. The Indian played softer shots and drew Chen to the net, drawing mistakes from his opponent to ultimately take the lead