Australia Open 2023: Prannoy stuns Priyanshu Rajawat, to face Hong Yang in final

SYDNEY: World No. 9 Prannoy HS reached his second final in a BWF World Tour Super 500 event this year after he got past compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat 21-18, 21-12 in men’s singles semifinal at the ongoing Australia Open 2023, here on Saturday.

Prannoy, who won the Malaysia Masters — his maiden World Tour title in May, will be up against world no. 24, China’s Weng Hong Yang for the Australia Open title on Sunday.

In the all-Indian semi-final clash, Prannoy and Priyanshu went toe-to-toe in the early exchanges. As the match progressed, both the Indian badminton players battled to gain the upper hand.

With the scores tied at 18-all, Prannoy, seeded sixth won three consecutive points to take the lead in the match.

The 31-year-old Prannoy carried the momentum in the second game and raced to a 7-3 lead. However, the 21-year old won four consecutive points to level the scores at 7-all.

Prannoy, though, upped his game to go into the mid-game break with a 11-7 lead. On return, Prannoy dominat-ed Priyanshu and won the match in 43 minutes to seal a berth in the final.

With this win now, Prannoy now leads Orleans Masters champion Priyanshu Rajawat 2-0 in the head-to-head record. IANS

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