HS Prannoy pulled off a remarkable escape act from the brink of defeat to make the second round of the VICTOR China Open 2025.

The 33-year-old trailed throughout the third game against Koki Watanabe, falling behind 2-11 at the interval, and was five match points down at 15-20 before a six-point sequence at the death put him ahead. He converted his second match point to earn a second round spot against sixth seed Chou Tien Chen with the 8-21 21-16 23-21 result.

“That was unexpected,” said Prannoy. “At this point of my career, each and every win matters. But I’m happy to be back on Tour; I had some breaks here and there.”

Prannoy has had a quiet season so far, having fallen in the first or second round of all his nine tournaments. One of the senior faces in men’s singles, he acknowledged that it was getting harder to cross the early rounds with the arrival of a new generation.

“The level of men’s singles has gone really high, so winning each round is getting tougher. The average age in men’s singles has become 22-23 all of a sudden; a lot of fresh faces, we don’t know what their game is. So it’s tough to be a veteran of this.”

With the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025 around the corner, Prannoy will have plenty of motivation to push himself, having won bronze at the last edition.

“The World Championships is one of those events that you always look forward to, you always want to perform better. I’ve always been excited with these big events. Denmark was very special for me. I’d love to go one more step further,” said Prannoy.

Prannoy’s teammate Lakshya Sen rued his missed opportunity against Li Shi Feng, with the Chinese recovering from match point down to make it past the Indian, 14-21 24-22 21-11.

Sen did well to turn around his fortunes in the second game from 16-19, and he held two match points before Li took the match to a third game, which he won comfortably.

The top of the draw was an engaging encounter between world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn and one of the faces of the emerging generation, Alwi Farhan. The Thai had his hands full against the attacking Indonesian, whose pace and accuracy of smashes kept him stay level until some rushed shots at the end proved his undoing.

“It was a very tough match, and very difficult to control the shuttle with the wind in the hall. I feel a lot of pressure ever since I became world No.1,” admitted Vitidsarn.

“I saw him when he was a junior – wow, he is a fantastic player. Everything is nice – attack game and defence game. Today was a big event for me and him, and I’m very happy because last week I lost in the first round.”

Other Highlights

» Newly-formed pair Fajar Alfian/Mohammad Shohibul Fikri continued to impress in just their second tournament together, as they overcame Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal 21-11 21-10.

» Their compatriot Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, recovering from vertigo, also crossed her first round hurdle, beating Kaoru Sugiyama in straight games.

» Home players had a mostly good day, with one of the highlights being Han Qian Xi’s close three game win over Ratchanok Intanon.

What They Said

“With my condition I couldn’t train well for the last two months, so that’s hard for me to start again back to training. I’m just focused on maintaining my health, I hope I can perform well.  I feel my body is getting better, and no more headache and vertigo, so that’s positive. I have been doing some acupuncture twice every week.” – Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, on her comeback after a layoff due to vertigo

“Thailand has never had a men’s singles No.1. I became No.1, so everything is new. I have to learn and try. If it doesn’t work it’s OK.” – Kunlavut Vitidsarn

“Facing the world No.1 is definitely a good opportunity for me to test myself. I want to see how far I’ve come and what my strengths and weaknesses are for future evaluation. I’m no longer nervous, no matter who I play, and I’m not that far behind.” – Alwi Farhan

“Physically I was 100 per cent today. The last few months have been tough, so I’m trying to get back to full fitness. Today gave me confidence that I can play with speed at the highest level.” – Lakshya Sen

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