HS Prannoy advance to the second round of the All England Championships

India shuttler HS Prannoy advanced to the second round of the All England Championships after a straight-game victory over Chinese Taipei's Tzu Wei Wang in the men's singles competition in Birmingham on Tuesday.

In the 49-minute first round, the World No. 9 Indian defeated Wang 21-19, 22-20 to improve his overall record against the Taiwanese to 5-3. The 30-year-old from Kerela will next face Indonesian third seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.

Prannoy looked sharp, scoring five points in a row to put the game out of reach at 11-4. The Indian, on the other hand, was guilty of missing the lines twice and also finding the net, allowing Wang to cut down.

Prannoy then hit a cross-court smash to get to game point, and then another straight smash to end the game. The second game was a closely fought battle



from the start, with Wang taking a 7-2 lead. Prannoy evened the score, only to miss the lines twice in his opponent's forehand corner.

He eventually landed a booming smash to take a one-point lead into the break. Following that, the two engaged in a slugfest, going neck and neck until 16-16.

Prannoy took a 19-17 lead thanks to two venomous returns, but he blew it again when Wang tied the game at 19-19. The Taiwanese then went long, giving the Indian a match point that he squandered. However, a determined Prannoy ensured that there were no last-minute hiccups when Wang went to net.

Only two Indians have won the prestigious All England Championship: Prakash Padukone in 1980 and Pullela Gopichand in 2001. Three Indians, Prakash Nath, Saina Nehwal, and Lakshya Sen, came close but lost in the final.