HS Prannoy vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn Highlights, BWF World C’ship semi: Prannoy crashes to narrow defeat against Viditsarn

Match point for Viditsarn! A quick rally and Prannoy tries to get the point, but finally smashes it out! MATCH!

Prannoy 14-21 Vitidsarn, 21-18 13-21

Going out of Prannoy’s reach! His forehand shots goes to the side gallery! Viditsarn is two points away now!

Prannoy 13-19 Vitidsarn, 21-18 13-21

Prannoy is closing in but fails to get to this one! Vitidsarn’s drop shot is way out of his reach, but he dives!

Prannoy 12-16 Vitidsarn, 21-18 13-21

Another error by Prannoy as he directs his drop shot onto the net!

Prannoy 8-14 Vitidsarn, 21-18 13-21

Prannoy answers with style! Vitidsarn hits it down the line and its returned by a smash!

Prannoy 5-7 Vitidsarn, 21-18 13-21

Vitidsarn is running to another lead once again! Prannoy’s return hits the net!

Prannoy 1-4 Vitidsarn, 21-18 13-21

The decider begins and a cross court smash by Vitidsarn goes wide of Prannoy but lands inside the side gallery!

Prannoy 1-1 Vitidsarn, 21-18 13-21

Prannoy loses the first game! He hits it beyond the gallery as the Thai pulls the match level!

Prannoy 13-21 Vitidsarn, 21-18

Prannoy lifts a drop up high and Vitidsarn smashes it to make it 16-13!

Prannoy 13-16 Vitidsarn, 21-18

Prannoy tries to get control again! But makes an error as his shot goes wide!

Prannoy 7-11 Vitidsarn, 21-18

Prannoy loses the lead for the first time! He tries to pick a drop away from his body, but it hits the net!

Prannoy 7-8 Vitidsarn, 21-18

A poor shot by Prannoy as he sends it beyond the back gallery! Vitidsarn is closing in!

Prannoy 6-5 Vitidsarn, 21-18

Prannoy’s backhand goes too long and Vitidsarn gets his first point in this game!

Prannoy 4-1 Vitidsarn, 21-18

The second game goes underway and Prannoy gets starts with a point again! Vitidsarn’s decision making is being questioned here as his shot goes on the line at the back gallery!

Prannoy 1-0 Vitidsarn, 21-18

Prannoy is lucky here as his return deflects off the net and Vitidsarn can’t return it! He seals the first game!

Prannoy 21-18 Vitidsarn

Prannoy goes late and the shuttle lands on the right of his court, near the net!

Prannoy 19-16 Vitidsarn

Prannoy gets this point as a Vitdsarn has to return it from close range but finds the net!

Prannoy 17-11 Vitidsarn

An error from Prannoy as Vitidsarn takes control in this rally and forces an error!

Prannoy 16-10 Vitidsarn

WHAT A SHOT! Prannoy sends a cross-court smash and it is fierce. Vitidsarn can’t clear the net!

Prannoy 10-5 Vitidsarn

Prannoy is leading 6-5, but Vitidsarn is trying to fightback and puts his cross court shot into the side gallery!

Prannoy 6-5 Vitidsarn

After a quick rally, Prannoy smashes to get the first point! Drives it to Vitidsarn’s left and he can only backhand it to the net!

The action begins as Prannoy serves to get the first game underway!

Both players Prannoy and Vitidsarn are in the court and are gearing up with some serves and rallies.

Next up is Prannoy’s men’s singles semi-final fixture vs Thailand’s Vitidsarn. Stay tuned folks!

An came out on top in the second game too, sealing a 21-19 21-15 win vs China’s Chen in the women’s singles semi-final!

An took the first game with a 21-19 win. China’s Chen will be looking to stage a comeback in the second game.

South Korean An will take on China’s Chen in the women’s singles semi-final, which gets underway now!

Astrup, Rasmussen of Denmark have entered the final, defeating China’s Liang, Wang in the men’s doubles semi-final (17-21 21-18 21-19).

In 2023, India’s Prannoy has played 43 matches, winning 29 and losing 14.

Danish pair Astrup, Rasmussen have won the second game 21-18 against China’s Liang and Wang. The Chinese duo won the first game 21-17 in the ongoing men’s doubles semi-final.

The Chinese pair of Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang are currently engaged in a men’s doubles semifinals against Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen. The Chinese take the opening game 21-17.

The second game is underway and it is the Danish pair, who are in the lead at the moment.

Carolina Marin storms into the women’s singles finals at the BWF World Championships with a commanding win against Akane Yamaguchi. 

The players engaged in an intense opening game as Marin rallied from behind, before wrapping it 23-21. 

Marin then completely dominated the second game, holding on to her early lead and closing it at 21-13.

First Round: Straight games win (24-22, 21-10) against Kolle Koljonen 

Second Round: Another straight games win (21-9, 21-14) against Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 

Third Round: Three games thriller against former champion Loh Kean Yew. Prannoy won the match 21-18, 15-21, 21-19.

Quarterfinals: Defeated beat Viktor Axelsen 13-21, 21-15, 21-16

Carolina Marin shows great character in the women’s singles semifinal against Akane Yamaguchi, who has enjoyed great support from the spectators present in the arena.

Marin makes an impressive comeback after trailing for most part in the opening game, and closes it 23-21.  

The pair of Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong defeat Jiang Zhenbang and WEI Ya Xin 21-18, 21-16 in the mixed double semifinals. They produced a dominant display, wrapping the match in just 37 minutes. 

Next we have the women’s singles semifinal action between Carolina Marin and Akane Yamaguchi.

HS Prannoy, who is assured of a bronze, is the fifth Indian men’s singles player to win a World Championships medal. It also maintains India’s record of returning with at least one medal from the event since 2011.

The Indonesian pair of Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, Apriyani Rahayu beats Korea’s Kim So-yeong, Kong Hee-yong in the women’s doubles semifinal. They close the match in straight games, with scores reading 21-9 and 22-20.

Next we have an all Chinese affair in a mixed double semifinal. The pair of Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong faces Jiang Zhenbang and WEI Ya Xin.

“I know that the top players kind of fear me. They know I can beat them and they know that if I get started, it won’t be easy. Earlier, I would beat the top players 3-4 times a year, but now I want to push that number to at least 10-12 times. Doing it every once in a while isn’t enough anymore.” – HS Prannoy in an exclusive interview to Hindustan Times. (Full interview: How badminton ace HS Prannoy rebooted to soar again)

There is also a blockbuster women’s singles semifinal clash between Carolina Marin and Akane Yamaguchi scheduled in the evening.

The Women’s doubles semifinal between Korea’s Kim So-yeong, Kong Hee-yong and Indonesia’s Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, Apriyani Rahayu is underway. 

As per the BWF website, four more matches will be played following this before Prannoy lock horns with Vitidsarn in the men’s singles semifinal. 

HS Prannoy and Kunlavut Vitidsarn have only met once previously, which was at the 2022 England Open. Vitidsarn had won 21-15, 24-22 against the Indian.

“In this moment, I’m not just representing myself; I’m representing every single person who believed in me. Never underestimate the power of perseverance. The journey continues,” – HS Prannoy tweeted earlier today. 

HS Prannoy handed Viktor Axelsen’s first defeat since the start of last year’s World Championships in Tokyo. Until the quarterfinal loss against the Indian, Axelsen had not lost a game, let alone a match.

“Finally, I have a World Championships medal. Before coming for the World Championships, we had a week’s time and all we did was practice few shots. I didn’t try anything new for this tournament,” said HS Prannoy in the mixed zone after his match against Viktor Axelsen.

HS Prannoy’s opponent Kunlavut Vitidsarn too has been enjoying a great run in the tournament, defeating Brazil’s Jonathan Matias and Ygor Coelho de Oliveira in the round of 64 and 32 matches respectively. 

Kunlavut Vitidsarn then defeated India’s Lakshya Sen in the round of 16 and engaged in a three-game encounter against Wang Tzu-wei in the quarterfinal, which he won 18-21, 21-15, 21-13.

Prannoy is the only challenge left for India in the tournament.

A look at few other performances by Indian shuttlers: 

PV Sindhu had crashed out in Round of 32, losing 14-21, 14-21 against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara. 

Lakhsya Sen endured a 14-21, 21-16, 13-21 defeat against semifinalist Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the Round of 16. 

The Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty crashed out in the quarterfinals on Friday. World No 2 pair Satwiksairaj-Chirag lost in straight games 21-18, 21-19 against World No 11 Danish opponents Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.

Meanwhile, HS Prannoy also defeated world No 7 Loh Kean Yew on his way to the final. The Indian met the 2021 champ in quarterfinals and engaged in a captivating contest, which lasted for 69 minutes. He eventually closed the match 21-18, 15-21, 21-19.

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy defeated Viktor Axelsen in the quarterfinals, producing a brilliant comeback after going down in the opening game. 

Prannoy lost the opening game 13-21, but won the final two 21-15, 21-16.

Hello and welcome to the LIVE coverage of the BWF World Championship men’s singles semifinal match between HS Prannoy and Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Prannoy is assured of a bronze medal and is the only Indian left in the fray. He will look to advance further in the tournament. Stay tuned for live updates!