Japan Open: Prannoy loses in quarterfinals after valiant effort

Osaka: HS Prannoy went down in the men’s singles quarterfinals against World Championships bronze medalist Chou Tien Chen at the Japan Open here on Friday, putting the curtains on India’s campaign. The 30-year-old Indian played out of his skin and saved three match points, only to bear the pain of losing it at the end, as Chow emerged victorious 21-17 15-21 22-20 in a pulsating contest. hour and 20 minutes.

One of the most consistent Indian players in the circuit this season, Prannoy recovered well from an early game upset, breathing down his opponent’s neck until the end point, but in the end, Chow’s perseverance won him the Super Saw this match. 750 tournaments.

Coming into the match after his twin victories against Chow in the previous two meetings, Prannoy continued to engage in a tussle with his opponent, leading 12-8 in the opening game.

However, Chow took a 15-14 lead when Prannoy went to the net. The Taiwanese had a two-point advantage after the Indian faltered with his net shot twice.

Prannoy sent one over the net with another hard return on his opponent’s backhand, and when he put his forehand over the net, there were three game point opportunities for Chow.

A precise cross court return gave Chow bragging rights.

After a change of sides, Chow again opened a thin 5-4 lead before a lucky net cord brought it to a similar tack. While Chow’s comeback intensified and his attack strengthened, Prannoy’s errors piled up as he trailed 6-10.

Prannoy tried to set the pace of the rallies, and a spectacular rally ended with a lucky net cord for the Indian, who drew parity at 10-10, when Chow stumbled on the front court.

However, Chow’s nose was pointed forward as Prannoy failed to defend a shot on his backhand.

After the restart, Prannoy showed better defense and made some accurate down-the-line smashes ahead of his opponent, who suddenly made several errors, especially in the front court.

As Prannoy took a 19-14 lead, Chow hit a cross-court smash on the Indian’s serve to break the run of the game. But Prannoy made sure there were no hiccups as he along with Chow took the match to the decider.

Prannoy made an erratic start to the decider as he widened the shuttle to trail 1-4. Chow went on three long runs before making a body smash to end a grueling rally and take a 6-4 lead.

Things didn’t go Prannoy’s way as he struggled to control the shuttle and several unforced errors saw Chow take a six-point cushion on the break.

Prannoy built the rallies well and precision in his returns, including two delightful cross-court returns, helped him reach 12-13. But once again, unforced errors surfaced in his game as he went long and over the net, giving Chow a 17-14 lead.

The Taiwanese produced a body smash to maintain the three-point lead and took three match points as the Indian went to the net.

Chow went wide twice and Prannoy opened a down-the-line smash in the middle to save three match points, but he once again handed a match point to his opponent, and when Prannoy went wide he sealed it in his favor. done.

Originally published at Pen 18