BWF World Championships: Sai Praneeth, HS Prannoy post victories
Men's singles badminton players B Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy advanced to the second round of the BWF World Championships being held in Basel. The two were far from their best but did enough to register victories on the opening day of the tournament. The rest of the Indian contingent will want to continue in the same vein. Here's more.
Sai Praneeth sealed his encounter against Canada's Jason Anthony Ho-Sue in straight games. He won his match 21-17, 21-16 against Ho-Sue. Meanwhile, Prannoy went down in the first game before fighting against Eetu Heino of Finland 17-21, 21-10, 21-10 to avoid a major scare. Heino is ranked world number 93 and credit goes to Prannoy for holding his nerve and avoiding an upset.
Sai starts with a BANG💥!
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) August 19, 2019
🇮🇳’s @saiprneeth92 advanced to the R2 of #BWFWorldChampionships2019 as he defeated 🇨🇦’s Ho-Shue.J by 21-17, 21-16.
Great start champ!👏
Way to go!#IndiaontheRise #badminton pic.twitter.com/7kSnagHD7p
Praneeth clinched nine straight points to race to a 17-7 lead in the first game. There was a lapse in concentration that allowed Ho-Sue to crawl back. Ho-Sue utilized his big smashes to close the gap within two points. Praneeth used his experience to wrap up the game and take a lead. Praneeth was tested in the second game but he held his nerves.
Meanwhile, the women's doubles pair of Poorvisha S Ram and J Meghana advanced to the next round. The two defeated Diana Corleto Soto and Nikte Alejandra Sotomayor of Guatemala 21-10, 21-18 in the opening round.
In the other crucial results, Kento Momota made his way into the second round with a 21-9, 21-10 victory over Vietnam's Cao Cuong Pham. Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol was also through to the second round. The world number 20 eased past Crystal Pan 21-9, 21-14. There were victories for Kento Nishimoto and Tommy Sugiarto as well.
