Malaysia Open 2023: HS Prannoy beats Lakshya Sen
HS Prannoy beat compatriot Lakshya Sen in a three-game match in the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament on Wednesday. The world number eight staged a remarkable 22-24, 21-12, 21-18 victory over 10th-ranked Sen. Prannoy will next face Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, who beat Danish Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus. Notably, Prannoy and Sen locked horns five times in 2022. Here are the stats.
BWF H2H: Prannoy 3-3 Sen
Sen entered the match with a 3-2 lead over Prannoy (head-to-head series). All five matches were held in 2022. Sen won the first two matches between the two at the India Open and German Open, respectively. Prannoy bounced back at the Indonesia Open and the BWF World Championships. Sen prevailed at the Denmark Open, while Prannoy has settled the scores at Malaysia Open.
Prannoy fared well in 2022
Prannoy was one of the most prolific singles players from the Indian badminton contingent in 2022. He qualified for the BWF World Championships quarter-finals for the first time. The 30-year-old also reached the semis of the Indonesia Open and the Malaysia Masters. Prannoy also bagged a spot in the BWF World Tour Finals. He stunned Viktor Axelsen, the world number one, in the tournament.
A look at Prannoy's next opponent
As stated, Prannoy will next face Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in the last 16 clash. The duo has met only once in BWF matches. The latter defeated Prannoy in the 2018 Syed Modi International Badminton Championships.
Nehwal, Srikanth suffer first-round exit
The Indian badminton contingent suffered a major blow on Tuesday, with shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth exiting in the first round of the Malaysia Open. Srikanth, a former world number one, lost 19-21, 14-21 to world number 17 Kenta Nishimoto in the Super 1000 event. As for Nehwal, the Olympic bronze medalist succumbed to a 12-21, 21-17, 12-21 defeat to China's Han Yue.
