Indonesia Open badminton: India’s HS Prannoy in semis after convincing victory against Rasmus Gemke
Prannoy beat his Danish opponent 21-14, 21-12 to set up a final four clash against China’s Zhao Junpeng .
Indian badminton player HS Prannoy kept India’s hopes alive at the Indonesia Open 2022 after beating Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the men’s singles quarter-finals at the Istoria Stadium in Jakarta on Friday.
HS Prannoy, the only Indian still alive in the BWF Super 1000 event, beat Gemke 21-14, 21-12 , to set up a semi-final clash against China’s Zhao Junpeng, who beat Hong Kong shuttler Cheuk Yiu Lee in his final eight clash.
Going into the tie, both players had two victories each in their last two head-to-head meetings.
The Indian, though, had won the last two, including the crucial decider of this year’s Thomas Cup semi-final tie between India and Denmark. The victory gave India the required momentum to beat Indonesia in the final to win their maiden Thomas Cup title.
It was HS Prannoy, 23rd in the world badminton rankings, who dominated the early exchanges against his Danish opponent, whose mobility seemed to have been limited by an injury.
The Indian, in fact, began with six back-to-back points before Gemke, the world No. 13, could register himself on the scoreboard. The Dane produced some eye-catching shots in the second half of the opening game but the early momentum was enough to see Prannoy through.
Gemke, who had upset world No. 2 Kento Momota in his opening round of the Indonesia Open, put on a much-improved display early in the second game but Prannoy continued to work his angles well to keep his nose ahead.
With the Dane fading away from the match after the break, Prannoy wrapped up the affair in 40 minutes after taking the final eight points on a trot. The Indian never lost his lead throughout the contest.
Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia, a former All England Champion, will square off in the other men’s singles semis.
India’s top draws like PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth had earlier made first round exits from the Indonesia Open 2022.
Where to watch HS Prannoy vs Zhao Junpeng Indonesia Open 2022 badminton semi-finals live in India?
The HS Prannoy vs Zhao Junpeng Indonesia Open 2022 badminton semi-finals will be telecast live on the Sports18 TV channel in India on Saturday. Live streaming of Indonesia Open 2022 will be available on Voot platform.