HS Prannoy Lone Indian Survivor At Japan Masters
Returning to action after recovering from a back injury, star India shuttler HS Prannoy emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the Japan Masters, advancing to the second round with a gritty win on Wednesday. The 31-year-old, who played with back pain en route to Asian Games bronze medal in his last outing, outsmarted Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong 22-20 19-21 21-17 in a 64-minute opening round clash at the Super 500 event. Prannoy made a good start, taking a 11-6 lead at the first mid-game interval. Lee, however, managed to bring claw back at 14-14 but the Indian held his fort despite relentless pressure to eventually seal the opening game by the narrowest of margin. Prannoy took the momentum to the second game, zooming to 14-8 but the world No. 18 from Hong Kong drew parity at 17-17 and this time went the distance with Prannoy falling into a pool of errors.
