Tough guy: India’s H.S. Prannoy in action in the men's singles first round match at the Malaysian Open. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Indian shuttler H. S. Prannoy is no stranger to challenges in life and had to overcome another unexpected hurdle in the Malaysian Open. Prannoy fought hard to beat Canada’s Brian Yang 21-12, 17-21, 21-15 in the men’s singles first round at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
The match though was unusual as it had to be played over two days after it was halted at the halfway stage when the roof over the court started leaking on Tuesday.
Prannoy had won the first game and led 9-6 in the second when the roof started leaking due to heavy downpour.
The 32-year-old was relieved to come through the challenge not only from his opponent but also due to the court condition.
"There’s been tension that I’ve been taking from the last evening until today’s (yesterday) morning session," said Prannoy.
"I think it was a pretty long day out there thinking what is going to happen.
"To finally be on the winning side in the first round always feels good. I don’t think any player has been in this situation. I will say Brian and I may have created some history out there."
On whether the halt in play disrupted his momentum, Prannoy said: "I think it was the same kind of feeling for both me and Brian.
"There were a lot of uncertainties yesterday (Tuesday) on whether we could continue playing or not. It was raining quite heavily.
"So, when the referee asked us whether we want to resume the match, we told can we play the next day, so that there will be some kind of certainty and we could come prepared again today (yesterday)."
Prannoy is hoping for a better year after he was hampered by health problems in 2024.
The Indian, who was initially diagnosed with stomach reflux issue in 2018, managed the illness well until the beginning of last year when it returned and caused symptoms like heartburn, abdominal and chest pains and inflammation of his vocal cords.
After recovering from the issue, Prannoy had to battle Chikungunya fever before the Paris Olympics in August.
"I’m feeling better now. I think it took a while to recover," said Prannoy.
"I was down with Chikungunya before the Olympics and it took almost three to four months to be at least doing normal activities.
"I’m glad that at least last two months, I could train and be in a position to play," added Prannoy.
The Indian, who was ranked as high as No. 6 last year, dropped to No. 26 after missing tournaments due to his health issues.
Prannoy also went down to teammate Lakshya Sen in the round of 16 in the Olympics but he is not a quitter.
The 2023 World Championships and Asian Games bronze medallist will next take on China’s world No. 7 Li Shifeng next.
