Interview: HS Prannoy pays huge tribute to Parupalli Kashyap after defeating him in the US Open final

2017 has been a truly fantastic year for Indian badminton that has seen our singles stars reach unprecedented heights. For HS Prannoy though, it has been a real roller coaster of a ride, that has finally seen him win his first title of the year.

The shuttler from Kerala defeated his compatriot, training partner and friend Parupalli Kashyap in an absorbing final at the US Open GP Gold that ended 21-15 20-22 21-12. It is the first title for Prannoy in 16 months and the third GPG crown over the course of his career. After a period full of frustrating ups and downs, he can finally put his feet up, even if for a short while.

He is in great form and now has his eyes set on the New Zealand Open, which begins on August 1, but one can not help but feel for the 25-year-old. Despite his recent giant-killing spree that saw him come up trumps against Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long, coupled with his recent title in Anaheim, he is unlikely to make the cut for India's squad at the upcoming BWF World Badminton Championships.

Prannoy spoke to Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat after his US Open win. Here are a few excerpts!

This has been quite an eventful year for you so far! Could you sum it up for us?

I guess it's been an okay year for me. I had a great start with the unbeaten run in the Premier Badminton League but after that, the next 3-4 months were not the best.

Now, I am getting my form back and I can say that I am happy with the way things are going. Hopefully, the results will also follow.

What clicked for you at the US Open, if you had to point one thing out?

I would say that it was playing with confidence. My run at the Indonesia Open gave me great belief, that I can match the world's best players.

Here, I'm very happy that I hung in there during the quarter final match (against Kanta Tsuneyama). The next two matches were as a result much easier to play, as I was confident about my chances and felt good about my game.

It was a thrilling final against Kashyap, who you know so well already. What are your thoughts on his performance in the tournament?

Kashyap has played some truly outstanding badminton in the past week. He had some tough matches but he was really, really good. I would say that it was the best I have seen him play in a long time.

I'm very happy for him. He had a long layoff and it's amazing the way he played the last few matches. It's really motivating for us as junior players as well.

In the final too, it was an evenly-poised match and anybody could have won it. Thankfully, I was able to take the lead early in the third game and that made the difference in the end.

India vs India in the finals is also becoming quite a regular feature nowadays, don't you think? What are your thoughts on that?

Things are looking good for us in singles and the last 4-5 months have been great. But the next ones will be even tougher than before as all our opponents will take us extremely seriously and prepare in the best possible manner.

I hope this run continues and we keep on performing and winning.

And finally, your thoughts on the Indian team at the World Championships?

I understand that there's no chance of me making the team, so there's no point thinking about it. My focus is on improving my game and winning the title in New Zealand. After that, we'll see what happens.