Despite the huge disappointment surrounding PV Sindhu's first-round exit at Denmark Superseries Premier, other Indian shuttlers continued their impressive run on Day 3 of the badminton tournament in Odense on Thursday, October 19.
Biggest upset of the tournament
World number 14 HS Prannoy caused the biggest upset of the tournament yesterday when he stunned Malaysian great and seventh seed Lee Chong Wei to book his place in the Men's singles quarter-final of the tournament.
Having defeated Chong Wei at the Indonesia Open earlier this year in straight sets, Prannoy made a strong start to his R16 match when he took the first game 21-17. However, the 34-year-old came back strongly to take the second game 11-21.
It did not look good for Prannoy when he trailed Chong Wei 10-13 in the decider, but the Indian shuttler shot back with eight straight points before fending off another comeback from the Malaysian to take the match 21-17, 11-21, 21-19.
Prannoy was at his defensive best on Thursday as he remained unfazed even as Chong Wei was putting come up with powerful smashes. The three-time Olympic silver medallist though seemed to have been affected by fatigue towards the end of the hour and four-minute-long draining encounter.
"I'm happy that I came back from 10-13, a couple of good serves changed the course of the match," Prannoy said, as quoted by BWF's official website.
He added: "The basic plan was just to be ready for his speed and to be quick on my feet. He's capable of playing fast at any time."
"I have extremely high respect for him, at his age he's able to play at a high pace. I think he's slowed a bit since his best years; but, he's still got the touch; only he and Lin Dan can play so well under any conditions."
Srikanth battles frustrating delays
Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth, the only seeded Men's singles Indian shuttler, battled a frustrating evening in Odense as he overcame frequent interruptions to edge past lower-ranked opponent Jeon Hyeok Jin 21-13, 8-21, 21-18 in the R16.
There was a 10-minute delay between the first and the second game in the match, after which Srikanth seemed to have lost concentration. There was more delay during the decider due to faulty lights at the stadium, but the Indian shuttler managed to book his spot in the quarter-final.
London Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal continued her winning ways by decimating Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol 22-20, 21-13, a day after she stunned reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin in the opening round.
