Picture Credit: Twitter
World No. 9 HS Prannoy stunned the world after he beat World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships. The Indian shuttler won the game against the defending champion 13-21, 21-15, 21-16 in a thrilling 68-minute battle in Copenhagen to seal the semifinals berth and assure a medal finish for India.
Prannoy, who earlier claimed the Malaysia Masters Super 500 title and reached the final of the Australian Open super 500 earlier this year, continued his dream run as he beat Viktor of Denmark to confirm a medal. While the 31-year-old got down in the opening set 13-21 but came back stronger as he took his time to adjust to the cadence of the rallies.
The win makes Prannoy the fifth Indian men’s singles player to win a World Championships medal and also extends India’s record of having at least one medallist in the event since 2011.
The Indian shuttler also spoke of having a worlds medal now. “Oh yes! I finally have a worlds medal.” “I just zoned out, the only thing under my control is me. I was actually not thinking about anything else today, just thinking about what to do to take the next five points. A lot of thinking I was doing inside but was not aware of what was happening around me,” Prannoy stated after his win.
The 31-year-old will next face third seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the semifinals of the events. The Thailand player is coming after registering a win over Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei 18-21, 21-15, 21-13.
