India Open: Praneeth survives five match points, enter quarters

A topsy-turvy match went Sai Praneeth’s way as the young Indian joined compatriots Guru Sai Dutt and HS Prannoy in the quarterfinals of the India Open.

Having lost the first game to Iskandar Zulkarnain of Malaysia, Praneeth led comfortably at 19-11 and 20-13 in the second game. That’s when old demons returned.

“I’ve lost a lot of matches while leading at 19 or 20,” Praneeth said later. “As he (Zulkarnain) got one point after another, the pressure became too much.”

The Malaysian kept reducing the deficit until he was 21-20, match point. It was at this moment that Praneeth, having squandered six game points, dug in and changed the tide. The Malaysian would have a total of five match points, but Praneeth used all his resolve to stay in the match and eventually win the second game. The decider was a formality, for Iskandar was spent.

“I was in a hurry to finish it off,” said Praneeth, of the big lead he had in the second game. “He played without pressure, and as he kept coming close, I just didn’t know what I was doing. But even though I lost many points, I didn’t get irritated with myself. If I had, I would’ve lost the match right there.”

Shortly before that, his India teammate HS Prannoy won a dream second round match against Taufik Hidayat, 26-24 21-9. The Indian stayed alert all through, kept Taufik away from the net, and smashed at every opportunity to stay level with the Indonesian. Once he clinched a close first set, the match was his for the taking, for Taufik just didn’t have the stamina or resolve to stay in the match.

“If you see my backhand, it’s quite good, and it’s something I picked after watching Taufik’s videos,” said Prannoy. “He’s someone I’ve idolised, so it’s a dream to play him. I knew his stamina wasn’t good, and I knew I had to win the first game. I had to keep him away from the net, and play on his forehand side, because he has more variations on the backhand.”

Earlier, Guru Sai Dutt made quick work of K Srikanth, who had upset fourth seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark in the first round. Guru triumphed 21-12 21-16 in 33 minutes.