Prannoy beats Kashyap to lift US Open badminton title
Anaheim (California), July 24 (IANS) Rising shuttler H.S. Prannoy overcame some anxious moments before getting the better of compatriot Parupalli Kashyap in what was an all-Indian men’s singles final of the US Open Grand Prix Gold here on Monday.
The 25-year-old Prannoy beat the reigning Commonwealth Games champion 21-15, 20-22, 21-12 in over an hour to clinch his third grand prix gold title.
Prannoy, who had come into this second-tier competition seeded No 2, made it to the final after defeating Vietnam’s Tien Minh Nguyen while Kashyap overcame South Korean Kwang Hee Heo in the semi-finals.
In the first game, Kashyap raced to an early 6-1 advantage before Prannoy’s cross-court smashes helped him draw level at 12-12.
They gathered the next few points alternatively before Prannoy came from behind to seal the opening game 21-15.
However, Kashyap, playing his first final in 21 months, used all his experience to fight back in the second game and leaped to a 14-9 lead. But the doughty Prannoy refused to go down and restored parity at 15-all.
Each time Kashyap broke away to lead by a couple of points, Prannoy dragged him back, until they hit 20-all. In the end, Kashyap bagged the vital two points to take the match to the decider.
The third and final game initially witnessed stiff competition from both the Indians until a few errors from Kashyap helped Prannoy cruise to 11-7 lead before extending it to 15-8 and finally pocketing it 21-12.
