On Sunday, July 28, HS Prannoy, the 13th seeded Indian men’s singles player at the Paris Olympics 2024, started his event with an impressive win over Fabian Roth of Germany. The 32-year-old achieved victory in his first match in Group K in straight games 21-18, 21-12 in just 45 minutes at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena.
In the first game, HS Prannoy and Fabian Roth were involved in a pulsating battle, leading to 11-10 scoreline in favour of the Indian at the halfway break. They were levelled at 17-17 at one stage in the first game, but Prannoy pulled away the best possible time against the German to take it 21-18.
The second game was far more clinical in terms of performance from HS Prannoy, showcasing some of his best badminton at the expense of Fabian Roth. After going to the halfway break with a 11-6 lead, Prannoy kept the foot on the gas pedal, not allowing a sniff of a comeback to Roth.
Shortly after, HS Prannoy had eight match points before he converted the first one in the second game, taking it 21-12, to start his Paris 2024 campaign in style. With that, the World Championship bronze medallist took the first step towards the knockout stage of the Olympic Games.
For India, the badminton campaign at Paris 2024 has been a mixed bag with wins for Lakshya Sen and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, while Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto ended up on the losing side.