Prannoy confirms India’s first men’s singles medal since 1982 in badminton Sindhu loses to old nemesis Jiao

HANGZHOU: India’s no. 1 men’s shuttler HS Prannoy on Thursday secured a thrilling quarterfinal victory against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, earning a spot in the semifinals at the 19th Asian Games.

The 31-year-old registered a 21-16, 21-23, 22-20 to secure a semifinal berth and assured India’s first medal in men’s singles after Syed Modi’s bronze medal in 1982.

Prannoy took the first game and even held two match points in the second. Nevertheless, the former world No. 2 Malaysian made a strong comeback to equalize the game. During the third game, Zii Jia reversed the momentum, securing two match points. Despite this, Prannoy demonstrated his skill by scoring four consecutive points to seal the victory.

Earlier, India’s campaign in the women’s singles badminton at the 19th Asian Games ended with two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu losing 21-16, 21-12 to her old nemesis He Bing Jiao of China in a quarterfinal clash.

The Indian had managed to storm back in the opening game and move within two points of Bingjiao at 18-16. But the Chinese shuttler pulled clear and notched three back-to-back points to claim the first game.

The momentum remained with the home favourite in the second game and she pulled away to a comfortable victory. Agencies

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