BWF World Championships: HS Prannoy knocked out by Zhao Jun Peng in the quarterfinals

HS Prannoy had advanced to the quarterfinal after a hard-fought 17-21, 21-16, 21-17 victory over Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lakshya Sen. 

Zhao Jun Peng mounted a stunning comeback to bounce back from a set down to secure a 19-21, 21-6 and 21-18 victory.

World No. 8 HS Prannoy began the first game aggressively and took every opportunity to build pressure on The 26-year-old Chinese shuttler. He took advantage of the false returns of his opponents to win the first set 19-21.

Zhao Jun Peng took complete control of the game in the second set as the momentum of HS Prannoy fizzled out. He took advantage of HS Prannoy’s lack of concentration to win the second set with a comfortable margin, forcing the thrilling clash into a decider. 

Both players put forth their best tennis in the final game of the match involving powerful smashes, long rallies and excellent netplay. Zhao Jun Peng brought his game to the table in the ending moments of the decider to win the match, securing a semifinal spot.

HS Prannoy gave a heroic challenge to Zhao Jun Peng, but the Chinese shuttler proved to be a better player for the day.

After the loss, HS Prannoy said, “This one will hurt for a while. Gave my all today but was not enough to get into the World Championships podium once again. Proud of the way I played this week. Thanks for all the support.”

Zhao Jun Peng will next face Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in a semifinal clash on August 27.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advance to the semifinals

The Indian pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty booked a semifinal spot after a 24-22, 15-21, 21-14 victory over Yugo Kobayashi and Takuro Hoki of Japan.

In another men’s doubles clash of the day, Dhruv Kapila and Arjun M.R. were knocked out of the BWF World Championships following a disappointing straight-set loss to Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia.