Japan Open: HS Prannoy Loses In Quarterfinals After Valiant Effort

HS Prannoy went down fighting in the men's singles quarterfinals against world championships bronze medallist Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, bringing down the curtains on India's campaign at the Japan Open on Friday. The 30-year-old Indian played out of his skin and saved three match points, only to endure the agony of losing it in the end, as Chou emerged victorious 21-17 15-21 22-20 in a pulsating contest that lasted an hour and 20 minutes.

One of the most consistent Indian players in the circuit this season, Prannoy recovered well from an opening game reversal, and kept breathing down his opponent's neck till the last point but, in the end, Chou's perseverance saw him through in this match at the Super 750 tournament.

Coming into the match after his twin wins against Chou in the last two meetings, Prannoy engaged in a battle of attrition with his rival, and was up 12-8 in the opening game.

However, Chou recovered to turn the tables at 15-14 when Prannoy went to net. The Taiwanese was pumped up as he moved to a two-point advantage after the Indian faltered with his net shot twice.

Another stiff return on his opponent's backhand ended with Prannoy sending one to the net, and when he put his forehand to the net, there were three game point opportunities for Chou.

A precise cross court return gave Chou the bragging rights.

After the change of sides, Chou again opened up a slender 5-4 lead before a lucky net chord brought it on an even keel. While Chou's returns got steeper and his attack stronger, Prannoy's errors piled up as he fell behind 6-10.

Prannoy tried to set the pace of the rallies, and a fantastic rally ended with a lucky net chord for the Indian, who drew parity at 10-10 when Chou faltered at the front