India Open: Has Prannoy conserved enough energy to face raging Rajawat?

India Open 2024 HS Prannoy vs Priyanshu Rajawat Preview: The two players are differently built and a have huge experience gap. Who will outclass the other in an all-India affair?

India’s number one men’s singles player HS Prannoy will be up against an up-and-coming talent Priyanshu Rajawat in the second round of the men's singles draw at the India Open on Thursday, January 18. Rajawat, who upset world championship medalist compatriot Lakshya Sen in the first round was excited to play big brother Prannoy, who had it easy in the first round, winning the match in straight sets against Chou Tien Chan of Chinese Taipei. 

Has Prannoy conserved enough energy?

Prannoy who won the first match 21-6 and 21-19, said in the post-match interaction that he was relieved that the match finished in only two sets because going for three a setter would have taken a toll on his body, which only 70-55 per cent of where he wants it to be. 

 

"I think it is important to finish any matches in the straight sets. When you get to the deeper ends of any tournament, those extra sets make your body slower," Prannoy had said after his win. 

"Not at all near 100 per cent. I think somewhere around 70-75” Prannoy said about his body reacting to the pressure of the matches. However, he also pointed out that close matches like these (the second set of his first-round game) will only make him push more and the body will get better eventually. 

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Rajawat waiting to play Prannoy 

Rajawat, who is currently ranked 30th in the world and who on his first Super 300 tournament in New Orleans France in 2023, said that he was excited to play Prannoy, with whom he trains at the Prakash Padukone academy. The last time these two met was in the semi-final of the Australian Open where Prannoy had the better of the young Indian, winning the match in straight sets 21-18 and 21-12. 

“It is important for me to play well against Prannoy Bhaiya. The last time I played against him was in Australia and lost in the semi-final. I will try and win against him this time around,” Rajawat had said in his post-match press conference after his first-round win against Sen. 

Rajawat vs Prannoy: Match of two extremes 

National chief Pullela Gopichand dissected Rajawt and Prannoy as two extremes where Rjawat plays a fast-paced game and Prannoy looks to make the rallies last longer. Gopichand thinks that if Rajawat can remain consistent in his approach, he has a bright future ahead of him. 

“He has the speed, and today you might have seen that he also has the quality of strokes which are impressive. There is a lot more to it than just having the weapons. With a game like that, it is not easy to be consistent. But if he gets consistent, he could be there for a long time. He has had some big wins. The quicker he gets consistent, the better for him,” Gopichand had said about Rajwat after his first-round win. 

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Prannoy though has Gopichand's heart for coming back to overcome difficult health conditions and peaking at an age when people think careers are over. “He has contributed a lot to the team, be it at the Badminton Asia Championships, Thomas Cup, or the Asian Games. I am happy for him. With God’s grace and the right health, he can beat anyone on his day. He is a real hero in my heart,”: the chief coach said about Prannoy. 

Be it Prannoy or Rajawat, only one Indian will remain in the fray for a singles medal at the India Open after this game as others in both men's and women’s singles crashed out in the first round itself.