Paris Olympics Update: India’s HS Prannoy emerged as the leader of Group K in the men’s singles badminton competition after his victory over Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat on Wednesday. Prannoy’s win sets up an exciting Round of 16 clash against fellow Indian Lakshya Sen.
In Brief
- HS Prannoy wins against Le Duc Phat in three games
- Prannoy will face Lakshya Sen in the Round of 16
- Only one Indian player will advance to the Quarterfinals
On August 1, HS Prannoy topped Group K in the men’s singles event with a crucial win against Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat. The match, held at Court 3 in La Chapelle Arena, saw Prannoy overcoming a challenging Duc Phat to secure his spot in the Round of 16. Prannoy, who is currently India’s top singles player, will go head-to-head with Lakshya Sen, who delivered a standout performance earlier in the day by defeating world No. 4 Jonatan Christie, creating a significant upset in the tournament.
Prannoy had a slow start, losing the first game 21-16. The world No. 13 struggled initially, failing to make an impact on the court. However, he made a strong comeback in the second game, dominating to win 21-11. Prannoy continued his strong performance in the final game, winning 21-12 in a match that lasted one hour and two minutes.
Prannoy’s victory marked him as the third Indian shuttler to top his group in the Paris Olympics group stage, following Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, and the doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Prannoy, who had recently recovered from Chikungunya, showed signs of struggle in maintaining pace, reflecting his limited preparation time. The upcoming match against Lakshya Sen, who is currently in excellent form, will be a challenging test for Prannoy.
The scheduled match between Prannoy and Sen was initially set for 12 PM IST on August 1 but has been rescheduled to 5:40 PM IST to allow Prannoy additional recovery time before the Round of 16 encounter.
