CHENNAI: Shuttler HS Prannoy has been operating with different verve in recent times, rocking some accomplished names in the sport in the process. On Wednesday, he pulled off yet another Herculean win by beating World No 2 Kento Momota in his own backyard at the ongoing BWF Championships in Tokyo.
Using the angles to precision, World No 18 Prannoy cut apart his more-famed opponent, who has not been able to hit the heights he is used to in recent times. While Prannoy has been on the rise, Momota, given his past accomplishments, has been a pale shadow of his former self.
A few years ago, Momota was almost invincible and had won as many as 11 titles in 2019, including the world title. That aura of invincibility is not there anymore, especially after suffering a career-threatening accident in early 2020. Prannoy, on the other hand, has been on the ascendancy. After years of toil, especially due to recurring injuries, Prannoy seems to have unlocked his full potential. More importantly, he is now applying it on a consistent basis and is proving to be a real thorn for anyone who comes his way. He seems to mean business now.
In their seven previous meetings, Prannoy had never won against the former World No 1. In fact, the Kerala shuttler had pocketed just one game (15 games in total), way back in 2014. Wednesday’s match was also one-sided, but this time in Prannoy’s favour. The Indian always seemed to be in control, hitting some precise winners. Momota, on the other hand, struggled to cope with Prannoy’s attacking play and could never get hold of the proceedings. In the end, the Indian won 21-17, 21-16 in 54 minutes.
This win also means an all-Indian battle in Round 3 of the men’s singles competition. Prannoy will take on Commonwealth gold medallist Lakshya Sen (seeded 9), who beat Luis Enrique Penalver of Spain 21-17, 21-10. While Prannoy and Lakshya advanced, Kidambi Srikanth had a day to forget. The 12th-seeded Indian lost 21-9, 21-17 against China’s Jun Peng Zhao. The women’s doubles duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also suffered a similar fate.
Full story: newindianexpress.com