Kumamoto (Japan), Nov. 13 -- World Championship medallists HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025 badminton tournament after registering contrasting victories in their opening round matches.
According to Olympics.com, on Wednesday, HS Prannoy, 35th in the men's singles badminton rankings, battled past Malaysia's world No. 22 Jun Hao Leong 16-21, 21-13, 23-21 in a 68-minute thriller at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
The 33-year-old Indian, once ranked world No. 6 before injuries and a bout of chikungunya derailed his progress in 2023, showed glimpses of his best to outlast his higher-ranked opponent.
After dropping the first game despite being level at 13 all, Prannoy bounced b...