Japan Open Super 750, quarterfinal as it happened: HS Prannoy loses to Chou Tien Chen in thriller
Recap of the men’s singles quarterfinal between Prannoy and Chou at the Japan Open Super 750 event in Osaka.
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Shuttle Zone: A look at what makes doubles badminton a completely different beast from singles
Well, India’s campaign in Osaka comes to an end with that loss for Prannoy. The 30-year-old, who defeated 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew in the round of 16, fought valiantly against fourth seed Chou Tien Chen in the quarterfinals – saving three match points – but went down 17-21, 21-15, 20-22.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 20-22 Chou Tien Chen: An agonising defeat for Prannoy as Chou converts his fourth match point. The Indian did brilliantly to fight back after trailing 5-11 at the interval and saved three consecutive match points, but the fourth seed from Chinese Taipei got the job done at the end to get his first win over Prannoy this year and pull ahead 5-3 in their head-to-head.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 20-20 Chou Tien Chen: We are level! What a fightback from Prannoy as he wins three straight points. A big smile on his face now.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 18-20 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy with some amazing defence and he saves the first match point for Chou.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 17-20 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy finds the net and Chou falls on the floor in relief. That was a tense rally. The fourth seed has match points now.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 16-19 Chou Tien Chen: Now consecutive points for Chou and he lets out yet another roar. He’s inching towards the finish line.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 16-17 Chou Tien Chen: Consecutive points for Prannoy and it’s a one-point game now. It’s coming down to who has more left in the tank.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 13-16 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy slams one into the net and Chou lets out two roars. This is intense. The Indian has to make a move now.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 12-14 Chou Tien Chen: An excellent rally but it ends with Prannoy hitting one long. The Indian does have the momentum, though.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 11-13 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy is very much back in this now. He was trailing by six points at the interval but is just two behind now. Chou seems to be struggling physically once again.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 9-13 Chou Tien Chen: Chou puts in a full-length dive but can’t get the shuttle back after a fantastic cross-court smash by Prannoy.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 8-12 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy has won three of the four points since the interval and trails by four now.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 5-11 Chou Tien Chen: Chou wins four straight points to take a big lead to the third game interval. The fourth seeds has raised his intensity and the Indian will need a special effort from here to turn this around.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 5-9 Chou Tien Chen: Chou is the more aggressive of the two at the moment and he’s pulling away.
Correction & clarifications: In the blog earlier, we had stated that Chou Tien Chen is the last seeded player left in the men’s singles draw at this stage. There is also Anders Antonsen, the third seed from Denmark, still active.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 4-6 Chou Tien Chen: What a point! Chou with some stunning defence and he manages to come out on top after 29 shots in the rally.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 3-4 Chou Tien Chen: The level is up again and it seems we’ll have a tight finish. Prannoy shows some incredible defence and comes out on top to reduce the deficit to one point.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15, 1-3 Chou Tien Chen: Chou wins the first three points of the decider but Prannoy breaks the streak with a solid jump-smash down the line.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan: From 6-10 down, Prannoy won 8 out of next 10 points. And that superb run proved decisive as CTC lost (conserved?) some steam at the back-end. We have a decider in a match involving Chou Tien Chen, surprise surprise.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 21-15 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy converts his first game point and we’re heading to a decider. The Indian pulled away nicely at the end and Chou seemed to be struggling.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 19-14 Chou Tien Chen: Four straight points for Prannoy now. The errors are piling from Chou.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 16-14 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy nails a smash into the corner and leads by two again. Chou, meanwhile, is looking a bit tired on the court.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 14-12 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy has a two-point lead now. He has raised his level and is playing a more attacking game. Eight of the last 10 points have gone the Indian’s way.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 12-12 Chou Tien Chen: Nice attacking play from Prannoy again and he kills the point heading towards the net. We’re level again in the second game.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 10-11 Chou Tien Chen: Chou has the smallest possible lead at the second game interval. Can Prannoy fight back and force a decider? It’s been an intense battle.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 10-10 Chou Tien Chen: Brilliant defence from Prannoy and he clinches the point, which saw the longest rally of the match so far. And he wins the next point too and we’re level. Top stuff from the Indian.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 8-10 Chou Tien Chen: Much better from Prannoy as he nails a cross-court smash. He could well turn things around if he manages to see off this phase.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 6-9 Chou Tien Chen: Consecutive points for Chou now and he leads by three. The Indian seems to be running out of ideas.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 6-7 Chou Tien Chen: Impressive, attacking play by Prannoy and he reduces the deficit to just a point.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 4-4 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy finds the net and we’re level in the second game. The Indian will need to be careful here and not fall too far behind.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21, 2-0 Chou Tien Chen: A fantastic smash down the line from Prannoy and he has the early lead in the second game.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-21 Chou Tien Chen: Chou wins three straight points to close out the opener. Prannoy had the lead for the most part but lost momentum at the business end. This is a close battle and the Indian will be determined to force a decider.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 17-19 Chou Tien Chen: Chou has a two-point lead and is pumping himself up after every point. Prannoy needs to make a move now.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 16-17 Chou Tien Chen: A stunning return from Chou, with a full-length dive, and Prannoy can’t get the shuttle back. It remains a one-point game.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 14-15 Chou Tien Chen: Three straight points for Chou and he has the lead for the first time in the match. Prannoy, perhaps, being a bit too passive.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan: Fantastic rally from both players, 29 shots and the point goes CTC’s way with a slice drop. Some really high quality badminton in this match so far. Understandably so too, given the form these two have been in.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 13-12 Chou Tien Chen: A superb 29-shot rally! The longest rally of the match so far and it goes Chou’s way. He defended brilliantly again and closed it out with a lovely drop shot.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 13-10 Chou Tien Chen: Chou is defending well but being held back by errors. Prannoy has a three-point lead again.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 11-7 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy with a blazing cross-court smash followed by a wonderfully deceptive poke to the back and he now has a healthy lead at the first game interval.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 8-6 Chou Tien Chen: Excellent defence from Chou but Prannoy manages to keep his composure and kill the point at the net.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 6-5 Chou Tien Chen: Three straight points for Chou on the back of some clever net-play but Prannoy manages to break the streak.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 5-2 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy is moving Chou around nicely and taking the initiative in the rallies. He has restored his three-point lead.
Men’s singles quarterfinal, HS Prannoy 3-0 Chou Tien Chen: Prannoy is off to a bright start and is pulling away in the first game with some precise strokes.
Men’s singles quarterfinal: HS Prannoy and Chou Tien Chen are on the court now and we’re ready to go. The Indian came out on top in their last two meetings.
Men’s singles quarterfinal: Finally, it is time for HS Prannoy vs Chou Tien Chen on Court 1. Both players should be on the court shortly.
Women’s doubles quarterfinal: The comeback is complete and the top seeds from China are through to the semis.
Women’s doubles quarterfinal: The top seeds are continuing their fightback on Court 1 and have the lead in the third game interval.
While you’re here waiting with us for Prannoy’s match to begin, check out this piece by former India player Shlok Ramchandran on the what makes doubles badminton unique and different from singles:
Shuttle Zone: A look at what makes doubles badminton a completely different beast from singles
Well, we’re going to have to wait a bit longer. The top seeds have fought back and the women’s doubles quarterfinal on Court 1 is going to a decider...
Prannoy’s match will begin after the ongoing match on Court 1...
Highlights of today’s first match on Court 1...
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the men’s singles quarterfinal between India’s HS Prannoy and Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen at the Japan Open Super 750 event in Osaka.
Prannoy was close to his best in the round of 16 against world No 7 and 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew. The 30-year-old was trailing in both games but showed tremendous composure and skill to complete a straight-games win. Prannoy will now face Chou Tien Chen, who recently won the bronze medal at the World Championships. Prannoy trails the head-to-head 3-4 but their two meetings this year went the Indian’s way in Malaysia and Singapore.
In a wide open men’s singles draw, Chou Tien Chen is the last seeded player left in the quarterfinals stage. Whoever wins this match will stand a more than decent chance of going all the way.
Japan Open Super 750, round of 16 as it happened: Prannoy defeats Loh Kean Yew, Srikanth bows out
Screenshots in the blog courtesy BWF / Viacom 18 / Tournament Software