Syed Modi International Badminton 2019: Sai Praneeth vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Second Round, where to watch, TV schedule, live stream details and more

By Sohinee Basu

Modified Nov 28, 2019 19:36 IST

For the 27-year-old B.Sai Praneeth, things turned out to be tight in his opening round match of the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships 2019 at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow. The bronze medalist at the World Championships, Sai Praneeth found himself playing a 47-minute long and grueling match against Malaysia's Iskandar Zulkarnain.

Praneeth eventually came out on top after a nail-biting second game and progressed to the second round after defeating the Malaysian by a 21-16, 22-20 margin.

While the other Indian shuttlers had an easy day, it was Praneeth who had to break sweat to make it to the second round and set up a clash with Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The third-seed in the tournament, Praneeth has had a decent year, with his crowning glory moment having arrived during the World Championships.

With that win, the Hyderabad-based player became the first Indian male shuttler, after a 36-year long hiatus since Prakash Padukone in 1983 to bag bronze at the World Championships.

For Praneeth, who has quite a bit of experience under his belt, the challenge posed by Kunlavut Vitidsarn should not be too much to handle, given that Vitidsarn is only 18 years of age. If all goes well, Praneeth will march into the third round of the tournament and remain in quest of ending the year on a high.