HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen advance to second round of World Badminton Championships | Badminton News

NEW DELHI: Indian badminton stars HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen advanced to the second round of the World Championships in Copenhagen with commanding victories over their respective opponents on Monday.
Prannoy, ranked 9th globally, secured his spot in the next round by defeating Finland’s Kalle Koljonen in straight games, 24-22, 21-10. This victory extended Prannoy’s unbeaten record against Koljonen to 3-0.
Lakshya Sen, the reigning gold medalist from the Commonwealth Games, followed suit with a dominating performance against Mauritius’ Georges Julien Paul. Sen cruised to a swift 21-12, 21-7 victory in just 25 minutes, securing his passage into the second round.
Former world number one Kidambi Srikanth made a first-round exit, going down to 14th seed Kenta Nishimoto of Japan 14-21, 14-21 in a 47-minute battle.
Having won a bronze medal in the 2021 edition, Sen is poised to face Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin in his upcoming match, while Prannoy is expected to contend with Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.
In Prannoy’s match against Koljonen, the opening game proved to be a closely fought battle, with the Finnish player initially gaining an 8-4 lead. However, Prannoy mounted a comeback, claiming seven consecutive points and securing an 11-8 advantage at the interval.
The game continued to be exciting, with Koljonen earning three game points before Prannoy eventually triumphed with a decisive cross-court smash.

In the second game, Prannoy maintained an equal footing at 6-5 before rapidly pulling ahead with a straight smash, ultimately clinching the match. Koljonen struggled to handle Prannoy’s tactics and suffered a loss.
Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen dominated his match against Paul from the start. He built a commanding lead of 11-3 and continued his momentum throughout the game, securing a straightforward victory.
Additionally, the Indian mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and N Sikki Reddy faced a defeat against Scotland’s Adam Hall and Julie Macpherson in a hard-fought 59-minute contest, with a final score of 14-21, 22-20, 18-21.
(With PTI inputs)