Malaysia Masters: HS Prannoy seals semifinal spot, PV Sindhu once again falls

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy continued with his consistent form to defeat World No. 14 Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan 25-23, 22-20 after a hard-fought quarter-final clash that lasted for an hour. Both players were equally matched and exchanged point for point to move ahead. HS Prannoy maintained his composure throughout the match to save twice as many points as his Japanese opponent.

Kanta Tsuneyama took an early 2-1 lead, but HS Prannoy immediately bounced back to wipe out the narrow deficit. The score was tied at 3-3, and both players moved forward with a back and forth of points with several short rallies to reach 10-10. The 26-year-old Japanese troubled his opponent with angled jump smashes while HS Prannoy resisted with well-executed rallies on the baseline. 

The persistence of HS Prannoy paid off as he got a crucial break to gain a 17-14 advantage. However, Kanta Tsuneyama soon turned the tide and got a game-point opportunity after the Indian shuttler fired the ball into the net twice. Prannoy saved a point with an excellent backhand flick before converting on his fourth game point opportunity to clinch the opening set 25-23.

The second set played out similarly until 4-4, when HS Prannoy had to take a medical break due to an issue with his foot. However, he raced to a 9-6 lead after coming back on the court. Kanta Tsuneyama bounced back again and went into the break with a 9-11 lead. HS Prannoy clinched four consecutive points after the break to make it 13-11. Kanta Tsuneyama pushed forth and got two-game point opportunities but failed to break HS Prannoy and fired into the net, allowing the Indian to move ahead and seal his victory.

In the women’s event, seventh seed PV Sindhu fell 13-21, 21- 12, 12-21 to the superior precision and deceptive strategy of Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in a 55-minute long quarter-final thriller. 

After a balanced start, Tai Tzu Ying won six straight points to jump from 10-9 to a 15-9 lead before securing the opener to gain a one-set advantage. PV Sindhu recovered from the shock and entered the second set with renewed vigor and motivation. She got a hasty 11-4 lead and maintained the momentum to send the match into the decider.

PV Sindhu started the third set well to gain a 3-7 lead, but Tai Tzu Ying regained control as PV Sindhu’s unforced errors caused the semifinal spot to slip through her hands. Tai Tzu Ying took complete control to dictate the game from the baseline and secured her victory. The victory improved the winning streak of Tai Tzu Ying against PV Sindhu to seven consecutive matches.