With PV Sindhu: After the stunning victory over two-time defending champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the quarterfinals on Friday, India's HS Prannoy expressed his delight, saying his determination has finally paved off and he has a world medal now.
"Oh, yes! I finally have a world medal. I just zoned out, the only thing under my control is me. I was actually not thinking about anything else today, just thinking about what to do to take the next five points. A lot of thinking I was doing inside but was not aware of what was happening around me. I was pretty much in my zone after the second game," said Prannoy after the match.
He further expressed his commitment to innovating his game in big tournaments and said, “I have been developing my game and trying to learn as many new shots as I can. I might come out with new shots in the next week”.
With this remarkable win, Prannoy will finally have a world championship medal under his name. Despite getting down in the first game, Prannoy made a stunning comeback in the second set, displaying his great skill of grit and temperament with the final scorecard read 13-31, 21-15, 21-16 in Prannoy’s favor.
With PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, B Sai Praneeth, and Prakash Padukone previously winning in singles events, Prannoy will now share the bench with them. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won bronze in the last edition, and Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa (Women’s) also won bronze in 2011 in the doubles category.
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Prannoy’s victory against Axelsen will surely boost his morale and grow his confidence for the upcoming semifinal against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.