
HS Prannoy Reaches Final Of Australian Open After Beating Compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat
NDTV
Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy entered the Australian Open final after defeating compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat in straight games in Sydney on Saturday.
Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy stormed into his second final of the season with a comprehensive straight-game win over young compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat at the Australian Open Super 500 badminton tournament in Sydney on Saturday. The 31-year-old Prannoy rode on his power and precision to outwit the 21-year-old Rajawat 21-18 21-12 in the men's singles semifinals. "It is very satisfying (to win), because it is always tough to play continuously against the top 10 players and beating them and if you look at the men's singles section, somebody from 30s and 40s are also very tough these days," Prannoy said after the win.
"Last two years have been good for me, I have been consistently able to pull off matches and this year has been special and I hope I can do something similar to what I did in Malaysia," he said.
The World number 9 Indian will square off against China's Weng Hong Yang in the summit clash on Sunday.
Interestingly, world number 24 Weng is the same opponent whom Prannoy had defeated in the final of the Malaysia Masters to win his first individual title in six years in May. It was also their only meeting so far in the international circuit.
"Weng is very tricky, he can play big matches. In last six months, he has gone out there and beaten a lot of big names. So it is not easy and especially being a left-hander, he has a lot of advantage over a lot of players. But finals is a final and I will go all out tomorrow," Prannoy said.