Malaysia Open 2022: HS Prannoy Defeats Liew Daren, Heads to Second Round

Malaysia Open 2022 commenced on 28th June and will end on 3rd July on a Sunday. The games are played at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur with a total prize of USD 675,000. India has officially entered the Super 750 series with two times Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, HS Prannoy along with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

Sai Praneeth and Sameer Verma exited early on in the tournament, whereas Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy lost to Japanese duo Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. Prannoy is performing well even earlier this month in the Indonesia Open, where he reached the semi-finals before getting knocked out. Compared to other Indian shuttlers, the 29-year-old World No.19 played exceptional games.

Also Read: Malaysia Open 2022: PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy to be India’s Best Shot for Winning Medals

Prannoy played his first game of the series against Liew Daren of Malaysia on 28th June. It was a competitive game between both the players going back and forth with their attacks and defenses. In the first set, the Indian player took the lead and maintained it till they changed their sides. Prannoy won the first set by 21-14 with a seven-point ahead in the game.

Also Read: Indonesia Open 2022: HS Prannoy Crashes Out in Semi-finals After the Loss Against Zhao Jun Peng

The second set came hard for the Indian player as he was immediately left behind in points and had no option but to defend, losing the round by 17-21. The tie-breaker game left no stone unturned as both players gave their best to go one up above the other. Prannoy won the match after ending the third set at 21-18. It was a close win and led to India’s first victory in the Open.

Also Read: Indonesia Open 2022: HS Prannoy Enters Semi-Finals After Beating Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke