BANGKOK: the HS of India Prannoy fought hard before falling in three games to rising Japanese Kodai Naraoka in the opening match of group A of the men’s singles BWF World Tour Finals Wednesday.
The world No.12 Indian showed superb recovery after the opening game reversal and continued to fight in the decider before three unforced errors at the back saw him lose 11-21 21-9 17 -21 against Naraoka in a one-hour contest.
It was his second loss against the Japanese, having suffered a defeat in their only meeting at the Singapore Open in July.
“I thought I was in control for most of the game, but after 15-15 in game three I thought I had started to rush and made mistakes on my side. Probably, it was a bad strategy, I should have been more patient,” the 30-year-old said after the game.
“Coming from the right side (after the change of end in the decider) I could have been more patient. I doubted myself in a few areas in game three. Maybe the lack of match practice made him uncomfortable.”
Prannoy will then face the Chinese Lu Guang Zu, an opponent against whom he had lost in his only meeting at Roland-Garros this year.
“All games are going to be difficult but I have to ignore and prepare for tomorrow’s game.”
Against Naraoka, 21, Prannoy, who was playing with a heavily strapped right knee, tried to make up for his lack of speed with his superior game at net.
After Naroaka took an early 6-3 lead, the Indian calmly cut it to 6-7, but the Japanese managed to enter the mid-game interval with a healthy five-point advantage when the Prannoy’s shot lasted a long time.
Prannoy produced a few effortless smashes on his rival’s backhand but struggled with length to give up points.
Naraoka produced a quick body return and also unleashed angled returns to move quickly to 16-7. A nice straight smash helped Prannoy go into double digits.
However, with Prannoy unable to rush forward due to his knee, Naraoka quickly pocketed the opener with a booming right smash.
After the side switch, Prannoy came up with a different plan to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm by keeping the wheel on the back court and extracting mistakes from Naraoka.
The scheme worked as he had an 11-5 cushion at the interval.
The Indian kept a firm grip to dominate the proceedings after the restart and came back into the fight with another accurate backhand shot.
In the deciding game, both players looked to pick up the pace in rallies, but Naraoka had better control leading 5-2. But Prannoy then picked up four straight points with the help of a few abrupt returns.
Naraoka made it 8-8 with one placement in the forehand corner of Prannoy and the other in the front court before sending one. However, two wide shots from the Indian gave the Japanese a two-point advantage at the break.
After the break, Naraoka kept ahead in the rallies even though Prannoy managed to recover at 14-14 and 17-17. But then a few mistakes ended his hopes.
At 17-18, Prannoy smashed one on the net as Naraoka stayed two points away from a victory. The Indian then sent a wide to give his opponent three match points.
The Japanese sealed it when the Indian made another mistake at the net.
The world No.12 Indian showed superb recovery after the opening game reversal and continued to fight in the decider before three unforced errors at the back saw him lose 11-21 21-9 17 -21 against Naraoka in a one-hour contest.
It was his second loss against the Japanese, having suffered a defeat in their only meeting at the Singapore Open in July.
“I thought I was in control for most of the game, but after 15-15 in game three I thought I had started to rush and made mistakes on my side. Probably, it was a bad strategy, I should have been more patient,” the 30-year-old said after the game.
“Coming from the right side (after the change of end in the decider) I could have been more patient. I doubted myself in a few areas in game three. Maybe the lack of match practice made him uncomfortable.”
Prannoy will then face the Chinese Lu Guang Zu, an opponent against whom he had lost in his only meeting at Roland-Garros this year.
“All games are going to be difficult but I have to ignore and prepare for tomorrow’s game.”
Against Naraoka, 21, Prannoy, who was playing with a heavily strapped right knee, tried to make up for his lack of speed with his superior game at net.
After Naroaka took an early 6-3 lead, the Indian calmly cut it to 6-7, but the Japanese managed to enter the mid-game interval with a healthy five-point advantage when the Prannoy’s shot lasted a long time.
Prannoy produced a few effortless smashes on his rival’s backhand but struggled with length to give up points.
Naraoka produced a quick body return and also unleashed angled returns to move quickly to 16-7. A nice straight smash helped Prannoy go into double digits.
However, with Prannoy unable to rush forward due to his knee, Naraoka quickly pocketed the opener with a booming right smash.
After the side switch, Prannoy came up with a different plan to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm by keeping the wheel on the back court and extracting mistakes from Naraoka.
The scheme worked as he had an 11-5 cushion at the interval.
The Indian kept a firm grip to dominate the proceedings after the restart and came back into the fight with another accurate backhand shot.
In the deciding game, both players looked to pick up the pace in rallies, but Naraoka had better control leading 5-2. But Prannoy then picked up four straight points with the help of a few abrupt returns.
Naraoka made it 8-8 with one placement in the forehand corner of Prannoy and the other in the front court before sending one. However, two wide shots from the Indian gave the Japanese a two-point advantage at the break.
After the break, Naraoka kept ahead in the rallies even though Prannoy managed to recover at 14-14 and 17-17. But then a few mistakes ended his hopes.
At 17-18, Prannoy smashed one on the net as Naraoka stayed two points away from a victory. The Indian then sent a wide to give his opponent three match points.
The Japanese sealed it when the Indian made another mistake at the net.
