Weng raised the bar in the second game and looked to be under total control of the proceedings but Prannoy fought back into the game and managed to take a three-point lead into the break.
Prannoy HS (Photo: ANI)
HS Prannoy’s bid for his second Super 500 title was foiled by China’s Weng Hong Yang who beat the Indian 21-9, 23-21, 22-20 in a thrilling Australian Open Badminton final in Sydney on Sunday.
Incidentally, the World No. 9 Indian had beaten Weng Hong Yang in the Malaysia Masters Super 500 final in May.
In an edge of the seat encounter, the World No. 24 Weng, who upset former All England champion Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the semi-finals, started the match aggressively but Prannoy used his experience well to stay on the Chinese heels.
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With the scores level at 5-all, Yang built up a five-point lead heading into the first break. After the restart, the Chinese clicked into a higher
gear and raced away to take the game.
Weng raised the bar in the second game and looked to be under total control of the proceedings but Prannoy fought back into the game and managed to take a three-point lead into the break.
The Chinese hit right back to draw level at 15-15, setting up a scramble to the finish line. The momentum swung constantly between the two before the Indian just about edged the thriller of a game to set up a decider.
After a tight start to the deciding game, Prannoy began to pull away and made full use of the young Chinese’s unforced errors to build up a 19-14 lead. Weng though, dug deep and scored five consecutive points to draw parity. A 71-shot rally when the score was 19-18 turned the tide in the Chinese ’s favour.
Under pressure, the Indian squandered a championship point before eventually conceding the 90-minute-long marathon contest. It was Yang’s first win over the Indian.
India’s campaign in the women’s singles at the Australian Open ended after PV Sindhu crashed out in the quarter-finals on Friday.
The results of the Australian Open will count towards players’ qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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