CHENNAI: It has been a whirlwind past two-and-a-half months for Indian shuttler HS Prannoy, which saw him appear in five international tournaments on the trot, and the national championships in between. The 25-year-old is now gearing up for the Hong Kong Open Superseries, carrying a total prize purse of $400,000.
He will be looking to end the year on a high, especially with the $1,000,000 Dubai World Superseries Finals coming up in December. It features the top-eight players from each discipline following the 12 legs of the World Superseries campaign.
Prannoy’s journey in Hong Kong begins on Tuesday against local favourite Hu Yun, who is currently ranked 24th in the world. World No 10, Prannoy told Express that though he has not had much time to prepare specifically for Hong Kong amid his crowded calendar, he is aware of the competition that awaits. “Every round is going to be tough. It is like another normal tournament, but the competition is going to be high. Let’s see how it goes.” he said.
The Pullela Gopichand-tutored shuttler further explained it is also about getting the priorities right, when there is a gruelling array of tournaments. “Taking care of the body is the first priority. But sometimes, you have to take a call. When there is a chance of qualifying for tournaments like Dubai (World Superseries Finals), you have to prioritise (accordingly). It’s tough for the body, but you have taken the game up as a profession.”
Performance-wise, 2017 has seen the Thiruvananthapuram player script an upward trajectory, which culminated in the US Open crown in July. However, he is yet to cross the semifinals in Superseries events this year, having lost in that stage in Indonesia and France.
Other than that, Prannoy also curbed high-flying compatriot Kidambi Srikanth’s run in the men’s singles final at the national championships, ultimately bagging the top-prize after a 21-15, 16-21, 21-7 victory.
Thanks to this fine run, Prannoy has forged his way into the top-10 in the world rankings. Despite that, he said he wants to play more consistently in the coming days. “I had a pretty good season in 2017, after June. Let’s hope the next three-four months will be much better and I can break into the top-eight or the top-five.”
Factfile: Age: 25 | From: Thiruvananthapuram | Trains at: Gopichand Academy, Hyderabad | World ranking: 10th | Career-best ranking: 10th | Prize money in 2017: $92,756.00 (Rs 60 lakh approx) | Events in 2017: 17 | Career win-loss: 163-93
tathagata@newindianexpress.com