Japan Open 2023: HS Prannoy Faces defeat in Quarterfinal against World No.1

In the Japan Open 2023, India’s ace shuttler HS Prannoy faced a tough quarter-final clash against World No. 1 shuttler Viktor Axelsen on Friday. The encounter was closely contested, and Prannoy displayed his prowess by winning the first game with a score of 21-19. However, the Danish shuttler, Axelsen, made a remarkable comeback in the following two games, securing his place in the semi-finals.

Also Read: Is Spin serve legal or Illegal in Badminton? Here are all the arguments!

During the second game, HS Prannoy initially took the lead, but Axelsen showed his resilience and managed to turn the game around, winning it 21-18. The final game saw Axelsen’s dominance as he cruised through with ease, leaving little chance for the Indian shuttler to stage a comeback. Prannoy struggled in the last game, failing to reach double digits, and Axelsen emerged victorious with a convincing 21-8 score.

On the same day, another Indian shuttler, Lakshya Sen, the 2022 Commonwealth Champion, displayed an impressive performance in the tournament. He secured a straight-set victory of 21-15, 21-19 against Watanabe, making it his third successive semi-final appearance following his previous exploits in Canada and the United States.

In his match against Watanabe, Sen took an early lead of 5-3 and continued to dominate, leading 11-7 at the break in the first game. With well-executed cross-court returns on both sides of the court, he effortlessly sealed the opening game. Although Watanabe tried to regain momentum in the second game, Sen remained in command, skillfully employing drop shots and earning points. Despite trailing 7-14, Sen staged an impressive comeback, utilizing clever tactics to bring the score to 18-17 in his favor. He ultimately clinched the match against his Japanese opponent with a perfectly placed cross-court smash and a crisp return at the backhand line.

However, it was a disappointing day for the Indian men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. They failed to showcase their best performance and lost 15-21, 25-23, 16-21 to the Olympic winners Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lan of Chinese Taipei.

As the tournament progresses, we may see more thrilling matches and outstanding performances from the remaining players. The Japan Open 2023 continues to be a battleground for top-level badminton, where talents from around the world showcase their skills and determination in pursuit of victory.