Copenhagen, Denmark: India’s badminton talents, HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen, showcased their prowess on the international stage as they breezed into the second round of the men’s singles event at the BWF World Badminton Championships 2023 held in Copenhagen.
World No. 9, HS Prannoy, faced a resilient challenge from Finland’s Kalle Koljonen, ranked 57th in the world, in the round of 64. The opening game was a tense battle that saw both players neck-and-neck at 22-all. However, Prannoy’s experience came to the forefront as he maintained his composure, securing a 24-22 win. The second game was a display of dominance from the Indian shuttler, with Prannoy securing a convincing 21-10 victory. The match concluded with Prannoy emerging victorious after a hard-fought 43-minute duel. With this triumph, Prannoy extended his head-to-head record against Koljonen to 3-0.
Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen also stamped his authority in the opening round, facing world No. 111 Georges Julien Paul of Mauritius. Sen wasted no time in asserting his dominance, taking an early lead of 11-3. He continued his momentum to clinch the match with a commanding 21-12, 21-7 victory in just 25 minutes. This victory marked Sen’s second win over Paul, having previously defeated him at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.
Meanwhile, the Indian mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and N. Sikki Reddy faced a tough test against the Scottish duo of Adam Hall and Julie Macpherson. After a closely contested match, Kapoor and Reddy were unfortunate to bow out with a 21-14, 20-22, and 21-18 loss.
However, the day wasn’t favourable for all Indian players, as Kidambi Srikanth suffered an early exit in the opening round. He was defeated by Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto with a score of 21-14, 21-14.
Looking ahead, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu is set to commence her campaign in the second round against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara. Sindhu’s reputation precedes her, and she received a first-round bye, adding anticipation to her upcoming match.
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