Malaysia Open Day 4 Roundup: Chirag/Satwik cruise into the semi-final, Prannoy loses in quarters
Two big matches for India took place on Day 4 of the Malaysia Open 2023 including the men’s singles battle between HS Prannoy and Kodai Naraoka and the men’s doubles encounter between Chirag/Satwik and Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi.
In men’s singles, India’s hopes ended after Prannoy faced defeat against the Japanese shuttler. On the other hand, the men’s doubles category had a memorable day where India’s pride Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy reached the semi-finals.
Here’s a look at the Day 4 matches:
Men’s Singles
HS Prannoy vs Kodai Naraoka
One of the top Indian shuttlers, HS Prannoy broke millions of hearts as he was defeated by his Japanese opponent Kodai Naraoka in the quarter-finals. Prannoy lost the battle by 16-21, 21-19, and 10-21.
After being down in the first game, the Delhi-born shuttler made a terrific comeback and won the second game, however, he was completely outclassed in the final game by scoring just 10 points.
HS Prannoy lost his quarter-final game against Kodai Naraoka of Japan
Overall, Prannoy had a good tournament as none of the other Indian shuttlers in the singles category made it to the quarters. This loss would definitely help him in the tournaments to come. His game against Lakshya Sen was the highlight of the tournament where he thumped his countrymate in a three-set affair.
Men’s Doubles
Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy vs Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi
The pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy is one of the most formidable pairs in the world. After two back-to-back victories in the ongoing tournament, the duo won their quarter-finals against Yuchen and Xuanyi by 17-21, 22-20, and 21-9.
The first two games were hard-fought for them where they marginally won the second game, moreover, the duo held their nerves and stole the last game comfortably to progress into the semi-finals. Now, their next battle is against another Chinese pair Liang Weikang and Wang Chang where they will fight for a medal.