Srikanth, Prannoy draw confidence from hard earned India Open wins

New Delhi: Navigating a far more uncertain phase in their careers, every win now carries immense value for Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy.

On Wednesday, the two senior most Indian shuttlers registered morale boosting victories at the India Open Super 750 event, results that carried significance beyond the immediate scoreline.

Srikanth and Prannoy were once central to many of India’s biggest moments in men’s badminton, including the historic 2022 Thomas Cup triumph. Today, for players who once commanded automatic entries and seeded positions, simply competing regularly at the sport’s highest rung has become a battle.

“It was a tough game. Two points here or there would have made a big difference,” said Srikanth, a former world No. 1 and 2021 World Championships silver medallist, after surviving a tense 15-21 21-6 21-19 contest against fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli.

Trailing 17-19 in the decider, Srikanth steadied himself to close out the match, a composure he admitted had not always been present in recent seasons.

The 32-year-old from Guntur was candid about his uneven start.

“Halfway through the first set, I was thinking why I’m not playing the way I want to. I couldn’t really start the way I wanted, but I’m happy I could come back,” said Srikanth, who reached finals of Malaysia Masters and Syed Modi International in 2025.

Beyond the immediate result, Srikanth was frank about the structural difficulty facing players who slip outside the world’s top 32. With the BWF calendar now dominated by high prize money Super 750 and Super 1000 events, access has tightened.

“Once you are out of the top 32, it becomes very tough to get back. Last year I couldn’t really get entries into the 750 tournaments. To start this year with one is a positive step,” said the current world No. 34.

For Prannoy, the struggle has been more about mental fatigue. The 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, who battled illness and injuries last season, admitted the previous year took a heavy toll on him.