BAI to reward H S Prannoy with Rs 5 lakh award for Swiss Open win

“This is a proof of increasing competitiveness among the Indian players and an inheritance of global standards uplifting the Indian badminton.

“It is yet another feather to the cap of Indian Badminton Players who are constantly displaying their command and portraying their authoritative abilities on the game all over the world,” Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, BAI president, told PTI on Monday.

It was Prannoy's second Grand Prix title win in his career, as he lifted the crown which was won by Kidambi Srikanth last year. The Delhi-born shuttler expressed his delight after the win and hoped that he can now gain a qualification berth for the Rio Olympics before the deadline in May.

“I am extremely happy to win this title. This should take me to the 20th spot in world ranking and I would like to give Olympics qualification one more effort by playing well in the next tournaments before the May deadline.

“It won’t be easy because I hardly have any time to rest or practice. In a week, I will be playing at the Indian Open Super Series and then I will play the Malaysia Super Series instead of the Senior Nationals as I wanted to give myself maximum chance to qualify for Rio.

“It will be physically tough but good thing is my confidence is up after this win. I am not thinking much about these tournaments though, I just want to concentrate on the first match and then the next. Hope God helps me,” Prannoy said.