Prannoy beats Kashyap to lift US Open badminton title

Prannoy, who lost a fair amount of his time to nagging injuries in his career, dished out a gritty performance to defeat Kashyap 21-15 20-22 21-12 in the summit clash which lasted an hour and five minutes.

"It was a good match, pretty intense match, a high quality match by both me and Kashyap. I think after losing the second game narrowly, I was calm and patient enough and it worked for me," Prannoy said.

"In second game, Kashyap was playing better than the first game. He was putting a lot of pressure on net and he was also finishing the lifts that I was producing, that made the whole difference.

"But in the third game, I changed my strategy a bit and I had a good lead. So yeah, overall happy with the tournament.

Now I am looking forward to New Zealand Open," he added.

The duo, who had a 1-1 head-to-head record having played each other at the 2014 German Open last time, engaged in fast-paced rallies and Prannoy more often sealed the rallies with his powerful smashes.

In the first game, Kashyap moved to a 7-1 lead before entering the interval with a sizzling smash on the forehand of Prannoy, who slowly reduced the gap to 9-12 and then turned the tables with five straight points.

Kashyap clawed back to level par at 15-15 but Prannoy looked unstoppable as he reeled off six straight points to grab the first game with another cross-court smash.

The second game had some intense moments as the duo fought fiercely for each points. The rallies were more aggressive with each having their share of moments.

Kashyap lead 14-9 at one stage but Prannoy drew parity at 15-15. Kashyap continued to exert pressure on his younger colleague and had a 20-18 lead.

Prannoy grabbed two points before Kashyap roared back into contest with another superb smash.

In the decider, Prannoy changed his strategy. His deft touch in the lifts and better net strokes earned him points as he zoomed to a 13-7 lead.

The 24-year-old continued to move ahead and eventually seal the issue when Kashyap misjudged a shuttle at the baseline.

Ever since bursting on to the scene with a silver medal at the 2010 Youth Olympics, Prannoy has been often left on the sidelines due to injuries, affecting his training and thereby his progress. Agencies