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Top-seeded Indian badminton player HS Prannoy crashed out of the BWF World Tour semi-final race on Thursday after suffering a close defeat to China's Lu Guang Zu in his second Group A match. The 30-year-old from Kerala, who had earlier lost to Guang Zu in their last faceoff at the French Open this year, put up a close fight only to lose 21-23, 21-17, 19-21 in a grueling 84-minute contest. 

Notably, Prannoy registered his second defeat in the competition, the first being in the opening match against Japan's Kodai Naraoka. 12th-ranked Prannoy will now face world number 1 and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in his final Group A match on Friday. Axelsen topped the group after beating Naraoka 21-15, 21-15. The Dane had also defeated Lu in straight games on Wednesday. 

The highly competitive match started on an equal footing, with both player trading blows, but a few errors from Prannoy allowed Lu to take a slender 6-4 lead. While Prannoy tried his best to bounce back in the game, China's Lu Guang Zu showed better control as he entered the mid-game interval with a slight two-point advantage. 

After resumption, Prannoy appeared to dominate the rallies and levelled the game at 14-14 before gaining a two-point lead at 18-16 with a delightful smash. Lu brushed one across the net to narrow it down to 18-19 and then pulled himself back at 19-19 when India went wide. Lu gained one game point, but Prannoy saved it before he conceded another. 

The Indian badminton player kept a second game point with a quick backhand reflex, only to hit another out. However, the Lu Zu sealed the game this time with a precise return to the backline. The duo fought hard in the second game, but Lu grabbed a one-point cushion after the break with Prannoy going long again. Prannoy scripted a turnaround in the decider by edging ahead to 19-18 after trailing in the game 10-14.

However, unforced errors in the crucial stages by the Indian star player meant Lu Guang Zu scored the final three points in the match to stay alive in the tournament. Prannoy hopes to end his BWF World Tour campaign on a positive note when he takes one world number Viktor Axelsen of Denmark on Friday.