India Open 2022: HS Prannoy beats Pablo Abian, will face Mithun Manjunath next

Eighth seed HS Prannoy outpowered Spaniard Pablo Abian 21-14, 21-7 to advance to the second round at the ongoing Yonex Sunrise India Open tournament on Wednesday.

Abian initially made a bright start and held a 6-2 lead against Prannoy. However, the Indian made a good comeback, with his down-the-line smashes and brilliant control in the net exchanges, to overcome the Spaniard in just 33 minutes.

The 29-year-old will be up against his compatriot Mithun Manjunath in the second round on Thursday.

"My aim is to prepare for each and every day better" - HS Prannoy

With an eventful long year ahead for the sporting fraternity, it is very important for the athletes to prepare themselves mentally as well as physically. Following his first-round win at the India Open, HS Prannoy said he has set only short-term goals for himself with this being a crucial season.

"Personally my goals are very short term," he said. "I'm not really looking forward to the next 6-7 months. I'm maximum looking at the next few months. My aim is to prepare for each and every day better. I'm not really thinking about the results of the tournament, for me the most important thing is to get the process right and get better."

With the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and Asian Games lined up, 2022 is going to be a big year for the athletes. While talking about mega events, the 29-year-old said there's tough competition between Indian shuttlers and qualifying for the CWG and the Asian Games will be challenging.

"It's a very long year," he said. "There are big tournaments lined up this year. But speaking about the men's singles it's very tough competition for all of us who are a part of Indian team. There has been good performances in the recent past. It's going to be definitely tough to first qualify for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games but apart from that there are a lot of tournaments that I am looking forward to."