HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen Advance To Second Round Of World Championships
NDTV
After HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen also progressed to the men's singles second round of the World Championships.
Star Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen progressed to the men's singles second round of the World Championships with straight-game wins over Finland's Kalle Koljonen and Mauritius' Georges Julien Paul respectively in Copenhagen, Denmark on Monday. Prannoy, the world number 9, who reached the quarterfinals in the last two editions, saw off the left-handed Koljonen 24-22, 21-10 to extend his head-to-head count over the Finnish player to 3-0. Sen, the reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist, then streamrolled Paul 21-12, 21-7 in 25 minutes to follow Prannoy into the second round.
The Almora shuttler, who had won a bronze in the 2021 edition, is likely to meet Korea's Jeon Hyeok Jin, while the 31-year-old from Kerala is expected to face Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo next.
The match between Prannoy and Koljonen turned into a tight battle in the opening game with the Finnish player quick to open up a 8-4 lead. But Prannoy reeled off seven straight points to grab a 11-8 lead at the break.
However, an exciting battle ensued after resumption with Koljonen eventually grabbing three game points after pushing one away from the forehand of his opponent.
A calm Prannoy, however, saved all three game points before hitting wide to once again hand over the advantage to his rival.
