Malaysia Open: HS Prannoy beats Aura Dwi Wardoyo, reaches quarter-final
Star Indian shuttler, HS Prannoy beat Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo at the Malaysia Open on Thursday. The former won 21-9, 15-21, 21-16 after an hour and four minutes to advance into the quarter-final. Prannoy, who beat his compatriot Lakshya Sen earlier, will take on either Ng Tze Yong or Kodai Naraoka in the last eight. Here are the key stats.
H2H: Prannoy 1-1 Aura Dwi Wardoyo
Before this match, Prannoy and Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo had met only once in BWF matches. The latter defeated Prannoy in the 2018 Syed Modi International Badminton Championships. Prannoy has now settled scores at the ongoing Malaysia Open.
Prannoy beat Sen
Prannoy beat compatriot Sen in a three-game match on Wednesday. The world number eight staged a remarkable 22-24, 21-12, 21-18 victory over 10th-ranked Sen. Sen entered the match with a 3-2 lead over Prannoy (head-to-head series). All five matches were held in 2022. Sen prevailed at the Denmark Open, while Prannoy leveled the record at Malaysia Open.
Prannoy fared well in 2022
Prannoy was one of the most prolific singles players from the Indian badminton contingent in 2022. He qualified for the BWF World Championships quarter-finals for the first time. The 30-year-old also reached the semis of the Indonesia Open and the Malaysia Masters. Prannoy also bagged a spot in the BWF World Tour Finals. He stunned Viktor Axelsen, the world number one, in the tournament.
Blows for Indian badminton contingent
Prannoy is the only Indian remaining (singles) at the Malaysia Open. The Indian badminton contingent suffered a major blow on Tuesday, with shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth exiting in the first round. Srikanth lost 19-21, 14-21 to Kenta Nishimoto, while Nehwal succumbed to a 12-21, 21-17, 12-21 defeat to Han Yue. PV Sindhu has also been knocked out after losing to Carolina Marin.
