Picture Credit: Twitter
The third day of the 2022 Malaysia Open saw HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu progressing to the third round of the Super 750 tournament while P Kashyap bowed out after losing to Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Kashyap lost the match in straight games. Meanwhile, the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty gave a walkover to the Malaysian duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin.
The day started brilliantly for India as Sindhu made a stunning comeback against Thailand's Phittayaporn Chaiwan to reach the quarterfinals. The Indian shuttler, after losing the first game, won two games in a row to progress to the next round. The two-time Olympic medalist pulled off a stunning win 19-21, 21-9, 21-14 in a 57-minute duel. Sindhu will now face second-seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei to whom the Indian lost at the Tokyo Olympics.
While Sindhu played to her reputation and beat the 21-year-old Thai shuttler, it was HS Prannoy who produced the biggest upset of the day. Unseeded Prannoy, who won all his matches during India's historic Thomas Cup triumph this year, stunned World No.4, Chou Tien Chen. The Indian shuttler beat Chen in 30 minutes to book a spot for himself in the quarterfinals.
Fresh from his semifinal finish at the Indonesia Open last week, the 29-year-old was a slow starter in both the games. But once he gained his ground, there was no stopping for the Indian. Prannoy beat Chen in straight games of 21-15, 21-7. The world No. 21 Indian will next face seventh seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, against whom his head-to-head record is 3-5.
Other Men’s Singles competitor, P Kashyap could not hold the fort against Kunlavut Vitidsarn as he lost to the Thai shuttler in straight games of 19-21, 10-21, in a match that lasted 44 minutes.
Chirag-Satwik pullout
The Men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had high hopes for themselves as they faced the Malaysian duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin. However, some niggle in Satwik’s legs did not allow the pair to show up on the court and the Malaysian pair was given a walkover.
"Satwik pulled a muscle in his core. He was better today but not enough to play and with Commonwealth Games around, the coaches and physios advised him to not play. Hence, Satwik-Chirah pulled out," said an official about Satwik’s injury.