India Open Super 750: Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, HS Prannoy bow out in round one as giddy days of men’s singles feel dant | Badminton News
It wasn’t too long ago that Priyanshu Rajawat stood at the center of the top podium spot in Bangkok as the new kid on the block, lifting the famous Thomas Cup trophy. Standing alongside, among others, were the leaders Srikanth Kidambi and HS Prannoy, and the next big thing, Lakshya Sen. Two young men with a lot of promise, two veterans who pulled the team through in tough situations. The triumph was perhaps an achievement that hasn’t received its due credit, but it was an incredible high for Indian badminton. To be World Champions in the most prestigious team event.
Just under 1000 days from then, none of those singles players have managed to get past the first round at the India Open Super 750. On Wednesday, Priyanshu and Prannoy lost in three games while Lakshya looked well off the pace in a straight-games defeat. And Srikanth isn’t ranked high enough to enter the main draw of these events anymore and pulled out on Tuesday despite getting a late call-up. On a cold, foggy day in the national capital, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of gloom around India’s men’s singles.
Priyanshu, Lakshya disappoint
Priyanshu, often likened to Srikanth for his game style, thrilled with some of his strokeplay but frustrated with the number of unforced errors against Kodai Naraoka to go down 16-21, 22-20, 13-21 in 82 minutes. The Indian saved a match point in the second game to force a decider against the 2023 World Championships silver medall but Naraoka prevailed in the endgame, as Priyanshu started cramping towards the end of the match.
Almost simultaneously on the adjacent court, Prannoy started well against Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang but lost steam towards the end to go down 16-21, 21-18, 21-12 in 73 minutes. And to cap it off, the day ended with a rather tame defeat as 2022 champion Lakshya went down 21-15, 21-10 against a red-hot Lin Chun Yi.
At the pre-tournament press event, Lakshya said that the fire was still burning bright as he looked forward to the season but his start to the match was anything but fiery. He struggled to find any attacking momentum, and even his usually reliable defence wasn’t coming to his rescue. Part of that was down to just how hard Lin was hitting the shuttle, the pace and placement of his smashes often leaving Lakshya not even in the vicinity to retrieve.
“I couldn’t really play my game,” Lakshya said. “The movement was a little slow today. I could have played a bit more patiently. I was prepared for a tough match. I tried to control the game after losing the first set, but it was hard to match his pace. At times, I managed, but overall, he dictated the pace and moved around the court effectively. Credit to him.” Lakshya also described it as ‘just a bad day’ but that’s now two tournaments in a row where he has lost with scorelines that raise concerns.
Prannoy looks to keep fighting
At 32, and after multiple health issues with the most recent being a bout of Chikungunya, luck hasn’t been kind to Prannoy. While Priyanshu and Lakshya, 22 and 23, have years ahead of them, Prannoy is closer to the finish line than he is to the starting block. It doesn’t make it any easier to deal with days like this though, as he still wants to make a strong comeback on tour.
“It’s a tough spot to be in as an athlete with many uncertainties regarding physical health. But a lot has been addressed, and I am now around 60 to 70% fit. Think it is important for me to just keep playing on the circuit. The Malaysia Open was a decent tournament for me last week. But here there were some ankle niggles.”
While Prannoy’s strong 2023 season helped him realise the dream of being an Olympian, he now has to figure out a new source of motivation to keep going. “It’s tough,” he said, followed a lengthy pause. “I don’t want to dwell on past achievements but focus on getting better. I have to find my own answers. But I’m ready to work hard regardless of the results, and some tournament or the other soon, hoping it all comes together.
The practice sessions too have been on and off, especially post-Chikungunya. “I’ve experienced random pains, which means taking breaks. There have been a lot of good days as things are improving, but still more bad ones in training,” he said.
Unlike the last couple of seasons, the road ahead for Prannoy is not one with long-term targets. “Given last year’s events, short-term goals help maintain motivation. Long-term goals can lead to dejection,” Prannoy said. But on the flip side, Lakshya and Priyanshu have to figure out ways to fix their issues in the game here and now, if they are to be the flagbearers of the future they are meant to be.
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