Malaysia Open 2022 Quarterfinals: HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu lose in quarters

Olympic silver medallist Tai Tzu Ying bounced back from a set down to outlast her Indian opponent. It was the sixth consecutive win of the second seed over PV Sindhu and extended her win-loss record against the Indian ace to 16-5.

PV Sindhu was playing against the drift and fell behind 2-5 in the opening game. However, she soon discovered her rhythm and pocketed nine points to get an 11-7 lead going into the break. Tai Tzu Ying tried to bounce back with her long rallies, but PV Sindhu held firm to clinch the first game.

PV Sindhu tried to carry on with the momentum in the second game, but Tai Tzu Ying took control of the game to go into the break with an 11-3 lead. She extended the lead to 14-3 when PV Sindhu calmed her nerves to reduce the deficit to 1-5 with her powerful smashes before sending the match into a decider.

The third game was a closely contested faceoff as both the players fought tooth and nail to exchange points until 12-12. Tai Tzu Ying mounted pressure on PV Sindhu with a mix of smashed and dropped shots, securing a semifinal spot as she aims to defend her Malaysian Open title.

H S Prannoy suffered a disappointing defeat to Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in straight games, ending the campaign of India in Malaysia.

H S Prannoy was the last Indian player left in the competition going into the match. However, he was knocked out 21-18, 21-16 as he failed to match the level of his Indonesian opponent. Pranoy could not pull off a repeat of the second round, where he bounced back with a flawless victory.

After the match, Jonatan Christie said, Yes, I will fight not only for Ginting but Indonesia. I am grateful to get a positive result today, but the struggle is not over. There is a challenging task ahead against Axelsen.

Jonatan Christie will lock horns with Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in a semifinal clash.