Day 1 of the All England Open 2025 Super 1000 event started on a bad note for India. The day saw HS Prannoy lose the match and bow out of the tournament. Facing Toma Junior Popov in the Round of 32, Prannoy loses the match in two straight games by 21-19, 21-16. This is his second first round exit in 2025, as earlier, he lost the match in the India Open during January.
Prannoy loses first game after taking the lead
Prannoy started the first game confidently, managing to take an early lead of 6-4. He continued to stay ahead at the mid-game interval with an 11-9 advantage. However, as the game progressed, Popov found his rhythm and fought back fiercely. Prannoy, despite his efforts, ended up losing the first game 19-21 after failing to capitalise on critical points late in the set.
Second game seals fate
Determined to turn things around, Prannoy entered the second game with renewed energy. However, Popov was now playing some excellent badminton, pushing Prannoy into defensive positions. Prannoy tried hard to keep up but eventually found himself trailing. The game concluded with Popov winning 21-16, marking another first-round exit for Prannoy this year, similar to his experience at the India Open.
Big matches coming up
This is a big tournament, since 2001, no Indian has won the competition. It was Pullela Gopichand who earned the silverware in 2001. With HS Prannoy’s exit, in men’s singles, only Lakshya Sen remain in the tournament. All hopes will be on him, as he went the closest reaching in the finals of the Championship in 2022. Lakshya will face Taiwanese shuttler Su Li-yang in the round of 32 today.
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