Prannoy raised hopes by defeating Rasmus Gemke in the quarterfinals but was defeated by lower-ranked Zhao Junpeng on Saturday.
File photo of HS Prannoy (courtesy: PTI)
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- HS Prannoy enjoying good form so far
- Prannoy lost in straight sets in the semi-finals
- Pranay was the line warrior in the competition
India’s last hope at the Indonesia Open 2022 India’s Thomas Cup hero HS Prannoy suffered a semi-final loss on Saturday, June 18. HS Prannoy lost 16-21, 15-21 to Zhao Junpeng of China in the men’s singles semi-final at the Istoria Stadium. The 29-year-old was the last remaining Indian in the BWF Super 1000 event after the early exits of top names like PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth.
Prannoy became a household name in the country after a thumping victory against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the semi-finals of the Thomas Cup. Prannoy, playing the final game of the match, came from behind to take him to the final of the prestigious competition. Prannoy’s services were not needed for India in the final match as they beat Indonesia 3-0 to win the historic trophy.
The day the match began with some lucrative rallies, world No. 23 Prannoy in the World Badminton Rankings lost the plot as the Chinese shuttler, 12 places below him, managed to negate the Indian’s strong net game early on. By the time Prannoy managed to gain a foothold in the competition, Junpeng had already taken the lead and went on to finish the first game comfortably.
Prannoy tried to increase the intensity in the second game, but Zhao Junpeng found an extra square to go 7-7 free and took the lead after winning five consecutive points. The end of the second game was similar to that of the first, in which Prannoy suffered a massive defeat.
(with IANS inputs)