India’s HS Prannoy lost 21-18, 13-21, 14-21 to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn and settled for the bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in Copenhagen.
The after effects of Prannoy’s gruelling quarterfinal clash against Viktor Axelsen on Friday were evident as Prannoy ran out of steam as the game progressed.
The first game was pocketed by the Indian largely due to lapses by Vitidsarn. The Thailand player made multiple errors in leaving shots only to find them land inside the back gallery. To his credit, Prannoy made his opponent work back and forth which induced those errors.
The momentum swing started when Vitidsarn pulled back from 12-17 down to move within two points of Prannoy. The Indian held on to win the opening game but could not keep up with the pace in the second.
Vitidsarn time and again forced Prannoy to dig out returns from close to the net and won points with well-feigned drop shots.
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