New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS)
Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy has marched into the men's singles final of the $50,000 Vietnam Open Grand Prix after a tough semifinal battle at the Tan Binh Sports Center in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Indian fifth seed took 57 minutes to down Malaysian 10th seed Chun Seang Tan 21-16, 14-21, 24-22 in their first ever clash.
After sharing the first two games, it was a neck-and-neck contest in the decider. However, the 22-year-old Kerala shuttler held his nerve to come out on top eventually.
However, the World No.50 Prannoy has a tough task ahead as he takes on Indonesian top seed Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka in the summit clash Sunday.
"This is my first Grand Prix final. It is going to be a tough match. Rumbaka has been playing really well and beat Nguyen Tien Minh in the semi-final. So for me it is not going to be easy. I just have to focus on playing more rallies with him," Prannoy told IANS on the phone from Ho Chi Minh City.