HS Prannoy won another remarkable encounter in 2022, defeating Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in three games in his final Group A match in the BWF World Tour Finals on Friday, December 9. In 51 minutes, Prannoy defeated Axelsen 14-21, 21-17, 21-18.
Prannoy’s victory over the Olympic champion was his second in a row, as he had previously defeated him in the Indonesia Masters Round of 16 in November 2021.
Despite his shocking victory over Axelsen, Prannoy was unable to advance to the BWF World Tour Finals. Despite winning at least one game in each of his three matches at the prestigious event, the World No. 11 finished last in Group A.
Prannoy trailed 7-14 in the first game, but he won 7 straight points before losing steam near the conclusion. The Indian shuttler, though, fought back with his signature smashes and cross-court drops to force a decider. Axelsen did not let Prannoy run away with the decisive lead, as it was all square at 18-18, but the Dane was outpowered in the final few rallies.
BREAKING @PRANNOYHSPRI too good for @ViktorAxelsen!
But the still through to the semis!#BWFWorldTourFinals #Bangkok2022 pic.twitter.com/AkxQBig8DT
— BWF (@bwfmedia) December 9, 2022
Viktor Axelsen, on the other hand, advanced to the semi-finals after losing to Prannoy. Earlier in the event, the Dane defeated the other two shuttlers in the group, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and China’s Guang Zu Lu.
After beating Prannoy and Guang Zu, Kodai Naraoka became the group’s second shuttler to reach the semi-finals. Notably, the Indian shuttler had fought valiantly only to lose in three games to Naraoka and Guang Zu.
Prannoy was the only Indian shuttler in the season finale, capping off a steady season in which he qualified for the World Tour Finals in third place. The event features the top eight singles shuttlers and pairs.
Prannoy did not win a championship in 2022, but he has won 31 of the 46 matches he has played this year. Prannoy reached the final of the Swiss Open and advanced to the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open and Malaysia Masters. He also advanced to the quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships, where he was defeated by China’s Zhao Jun Peng.
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