NEW DELHI: India's top-ranked men's singles player HS Prannoy lost to Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 21-19, 18-21, 8-21 in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open 2023 badminton tournament in Tokyo on Friday.
Prannoy started the match strong, winning the first game in a closely contested encounter with a score of 21-19. However, the Danish shuttler, Axelsen, displayed his resilience and fought back in the subsequent games.
During the second game, Prannoy showed determination and initially held the lead. However, Axelsen managed to turn the tide and kept the contest alive, winning the second game by 21-18.
In the decisive third game, Axelsen showcased his dominance and controlled the match from start to finish. The World No. 1 shuttler outclassed Prannoy, leaving him with little chance to mount a comeback. The final game ended with a score of 21-8 in favor of Axelsen.
Despite Prannoy's efforts and a hard-fought performance, it was Axelsen who emerged victorious, securing his place in the semi-finals of the Japan Open.
Earlier in the day, the 2022 Commonwealth Champion Lakshya Sen registered a straight-set 21-15 21-19 victory over Watanabe to make his third successive semifinals, following his exploits in Canada and the United States.
Sen, who won the Canada Open Super 500 earlier this month, jumped out to a 5-3 lead early on before closing to 11-7 at the break. The Indian had little trouble manoeuvring the Japanese and quickly sealed the opening game with two cross-court returns on both sides of the court.
Watanabe tried to infuse some energy into the rallies after switching sides, but Sen looked in command and moved to 3-2 with a stunning cross court drop. A 42-shot rally finished with Sen's backhand falling into the net, giving Watanabe a 5-3 lead.
Sen, who trailed 7-14, staged a comeback, pulling his opponent to the net and making good use of drop shots. With a cross-court smash, he quickly turned the tables at 18-17. Sen secured one match point with two returns on his opponent's backhand before producing another crisp return at the backhand line to clinch the match against his Japanese opponent.
Meanwhile, the Indian in-form men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty failed to bring their 'A' game into the match, falling 15-21 25-23 16-21 to Olympic winners Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lan of Chinese Taipei.
(With ANI inputs)
