BWF US Open | Sourabh Verma stuns HS Prannoy to enter semis
Sourabh Verma had to endure a gruelling match that lasted almost an hour before he could overcome compatriot and ace Indian shuttler HS Prannoy in the quarter-final of the US Open. Verma, India’s sole contender in the tournament now, will face Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in the semis.
After Lakshya Sen had stunned Parupalli Kashyap in the previous round, fans were open to unexpected outcomes although they didn’t expect it to come this quick in the tournament. Friday saw Verma taking on compatriot Prannoy in the quarter-final and it was the perfect battle of the equals.
The hint of which intensity the match would be played was seen in the first game of the match when Prannoy after falling to 11-7 came back strongly to level at 11-111 and 13-13. However, Verma didn’t lose heart from the consecutive loss of points and opened a late four-point lead at 17-13. Following that, the game looked straight-forward and although Prannoy cut it close to 19-18, he eventually lost 21-19.
The second and deciding game was even better as Prannoy rectified almost all the mistake he had made in the first game and was almost toe-to-toe with his opponent. It went the distance quite expectantly but Verma kept his nerves to win it 23-21 in the end. He will be facing Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk next in the semi-finals.
