Sixth seed HS Prannoy faces top seed and World No. 2 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open Badminton 2023 in Sydney on Friday (August 4).
Prannoy has had to battle his way into the last eight of this Super 500 event. In the first round, the World No. 9 edged Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-18, 16-21, 21-15. He then had to dig deep to see off the spirited Chi Yu Jen 19-21, 21-19, 21-13.
Ginting, too, needed three games to prevail over Hong Kong veteran NG Ka Long Angus 21-18, 18-21, 21-12 in the opening round. He then breezed past rising Indian star Kiran George 21-15, 21-18 to book his quarterfinal berth.
Australian Open Badminton 2023, HS Prannoy vs Anthony Sinisuka Ginting: Head-to-head and Prediction
HS Prannoy and Ginting are locked at 2-2 in their head-to-head, having evenly split their four meetings so far. Their last couple of showdowns were three-game thrillers. While Prannoy held off Ginting 21-19, 19-21, 21-18 at the 2022 Swiss Open, the Indonesian eked out a 22-20, 15-21, 21-17 win at the 2023 All England Open earlier this year.
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, a 26-year-old Indonesian, has firmly established himself in the top tier of the badminton circuit over the past few years. Among his numerous achievements, a prized Tokyo Olympic men's singles bronze medal stands out. He is the reigning Asian champion and has medals from the Asian Games, Thomas Cup and Sudirman Cup.
On the BWF World Tour, he has reached 13 finals, winning six. The last two summit clashes came this year at the Singapore Open and the Indonesia Open. While Ginting won the former, he went down to World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen in the latter.
Prannoy, too, has been enjoying a good season of his own. He lifted the trophy at the Malaysia Masters earlier this year and has made the semifinals of the Indonesia Open, apart from four other quarterfinals, before arriving Down Under.
Both have got a good measure of each other in their previous four face-offs and know what to expect. With both being in the midst of a productive season, their upcoming encounter has all the makings of a thriller.
Prannoy certainly has it in him to cause a big upset. It only remains to be seen if he manages to play with controlled aggression under pressure to put Ginting in a spot of bother.
Read: Australian Open Badminton 2023: Preview, schedule, where to watch & live streaming details in India
Australian Open Badminton 2023, HS Prannoy vs Anthony Sinisuka Ginting: Date and time
HS Prannoy and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting will square off in the men's singles quarterfinals at the Australian Open Badminton 2023 on Friday in the seventh match of the day on Court 1.
Date: August 4, 2023
Round: Quarterfinals
Time: Approx. 4.30 pm local time; 12 noon IST
Venue: State Sports Centre in Sydney, Australia
Australian Open Badminton 2023, HS Prannoy vs Anthony Sinisuka Ginting: Where to watch & live streaming details
This Australian Open Badminton 2023 match will not be broadcast live on any channel in India.
Live streaming will, however, be available on YouTube on BWF.TV. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.