World No 25 HS Prannoy caused an upset in the Indonesia Open Superseries on Thursday by knocking out top seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in straight games in the second round. Prannoy needed 40 minutes to dispatch the former champion 21-10, 21-18. The 24-year-old Indian will next take on the winner of the match between eighth seed Chen Long and Jonatan Christie in the quarter final.
Prannoy raced to a 6-0 lead in the first game, with the former world No 1 from Malaysia looking quite rusty. Lee could never really make up the lost ground as he conceded the first game rather tamely, 10-21 in just 15 minutes. Prannoy’s net play was excellent in the first game, as were his cross-court shots.
Lee switched on in the second game and put some pressure on Prannoy. The game was locked 12-12 near the halfway mark. The two exchanged some amazing rallies towards the end of the game, including one that lasted 27 shots and was won by Prannoy. The Indian eventually managed to win the game 21-18 and seal a spot in the last eight.
“Lee looked ordinary today and I took my chances. I am very happy to have won,” Prannoy told PTI.
Earlier in the day, India’s Kidambi Srikanth also got through to the quarter-finals by beating world No 9 Jan Jorgensen, but it wasn’t a straightforward win. Srikanth won the first game 21-15, before Jorgensen fought back to take the second 22-10. The 22nd-ranked Indian, however, held his nerve and took the deciding game 21-16.
Srikanth will take on world No 19 Tzu Wei Wang of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals. It won’t be an easy match considering Wang’s giant-killing form in this tournament. The 22-year-old has already beaten the legendary Lin Dan and world No 6 NG Ka Long Angus in the last two days.