CHENNAI: Indian shuttler HS Prannoy threw the kitchen sink on Sunday in a bid to capture his second title of the season. Employing his trademark smashes and some mind-bending returns, he was within sight of the finish line against China’s Weng Hong Yang in a thrilling men’s singles final of the Australian Open, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, in Sydney.
However, despite his monumental effort, the World No 9 still finished second based against the unseeded Chinese in a contest that lasted 90 minutes. After a tame effort in the opening game, which was a one-sided affair, Prannoy found joy in the second essay. Sharpness was visible in his play as he landed some solid smashes to counter his tricky opponent. In the end, the second game proved to be a see-saw battle but it was Prannoy who retained his calm to take the contest to the decider.
The Indian was clearly on the ascendancy after pocketing the first game and had a handy lead going into the mid-game break. The shuttler from Kerala seemed composed and managed to land some solid winners on both sides of the court. Trailing 14-19, the left-handed Weng refused to yield and reeled off five consecutive points. The duo was involved in a 71-shot rally during the said phase with Weng defending with all his might.
It was Prannoy’s laboured attempted drop shot that brought an end to that epic rally. Both players, understandably sapped, slumped to the ground after that long exchange. Soon the equation was level at 19-19. However, it was Prannoy who had the chance to seal the match after going 20-19 ahead. But Weng pulled off yet another rescue act before going on to clinch the match himself.
Despite missing out on the title, this is yet another goliath effort by Prannoy, who has been one of the best shuttlers (singles) from the country in recent times. Before the final, Prannoy had beaten No 1 seed Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in the quarterfinals before ending Priyanshu Rajawat’s impressive run in the semifinals.
Earlier in May, he had come out on top against Weng to pocket his first Super 500 title (Malaysia Masters). Following that impressive performance, he reached the semifinals of the Indonesia Open, which comprised a strong field, before losing against World No 1 Viktor Axelsen.
