Prannoy saves 5 match points to progress

Changzhou: Indian shuttler HS Prannoy saved five match points and clawed his way back from a game down to beat Japan’s Koki Watanabe in the opening round of the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here on Tuesday.

The world No. 35 Prannoy pulled off a stunning 8-21, 21-16, 23-21 win against the 18th-ranked Watanabe.

It was a tough day for Lakshya Sen, whose poor run continued as he squandered a one-game advantage to suffer a 21-14, 22-24, 11-21 loss to China’s fifth seed Li Shi Feng.

“This point in my career, every win matters. I’m happy to be back on tour, small breaks happened here and there. The level of playing has gone really high and winning each round is getting tough day by day,” Prannoy said after the win.

“The average age has become 22- 23 in the men’s singles all of a sudden. Lot of fresh faces and you don’t really know what their game is. So, it’s tough to be a veteran out there,” he added.

Prannoy was never in the contest as Watanabe closed it out with ease.