Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy lost the heartbreaking men’s singles final match to China’s Weng Hong Yang on Sunday, capping off an outstanding week with a runner-up result at the Australia Open.
Prannoy lost against world No. 24 Weng after a gruelling 90 minutes of play, 9-21, 23-21, and 20-22, depriving him of the opportunity to win his second BWF championship of the year.
Weng got off to a fast start but HS Prannoy made good use of his expertise to keep on the Chinese shuttler’s heels. The first half ended with Yang holding a five-point lead after the score was tied at five all. The Chinese shuttler quickly accelerated after the restart in order to win the game.
Yang appeared to be cruising in the second game after gaining the initiative, but Prannoy managed to retake the game and go into the break with a three-point advantage. But Weng Hong Yang struck back quickly to tie the score at 15-15, setting up a race to the finish line.
Before the Indian badminton player narrowly won the nail-biting match to force a decider, the momentum alternated back and forth between the two finalists.
The decisive game got off to a close start, but HS Prannoy started to pull away and capitalised on the young Chinese player’s unforced errors to take a 19-14 advantage. But Weng Hong Yang persevered and scored five straight points to equalise the score. When the score was 19-18, a 71-shot rally swung the match in the Chinese player’s direction.
Under pressure, HS Prannoy blew a chance to win the championship before finally giving up the 90-minute marathon match. Yang had defeated the Indian for the first time.
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