Malaysia Masters: HS Prannoy loses in Malaysia Masters semis, India's campaign over

Former world champion HS Prannoy fell 21-17, 9-21, 17-21 after a mistake-filled men's singles match in Axiata Arena to NG Ka Long Angus after a one hour and four-minute-long clash. HS Prannoy went into the match with a win-loss record of 4-4 against his Hongkonger opponent, with the Indian shuttler winning at their last three meetings. He won the toss and picked the good side in the opener.

In the opening game, HS Prannoy took firm control of the court and raced to a 5-3 lead with two excellent cross-court jump smashes. The 29-year-old Indian focused on good-pitch placement and constructing his rallies. He took advantage of the weak returns of NG Ka Long Angus to go into the break with a comfortable 11-7 lead.

NG Ka Long Angus used his smashes to narrow the deficit after the break but missed several easy chances, allowing HS Prannoy to maintain a four-point advantage. HS Prannoy dropped two points following a couple of subpar shots before clinching the opener with excellent baseline play.

NG Ka Long Angus took control of the rallies in the second game and got an 11-5 lead by the break, while HS Prannoy struggled to take control of the shuttle. Prannoy made several uncharacteristic errors in the second set, allowing NG Ka Long Angus to take the match to a decider.

HS Prannoy regained control of the match in the third game and got a quick 8-3 lead. However, NG Ka Long Angus pulled off an impressive reversal to win eight of the next nine games to go into the break with a two-point cushion. The Hongkonger managed to gain a 16-12 lead despite the attempts of his Indian opponent to take control of the rallies.

HS Prannoy narrowed the lead to 16-17 to revive his chances of reaching the final, but NG Ka Long Angus clinched three match points after a long rally that ended with Prannoy firing the shot into the net. The loss ended the hopes of HS Prannoy to end his five-year title drought at the Super 500 event.