HS Prannoy became the only Indian to reach the quarterfinal stage at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 event at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta as he defeated Ng Ka Long Angus in straight games on Thursday.
Prannoy, ranked 23, showed his full range as a player and converted his third match point, a sensational one at that, to complete a 21-11, 21-18 victory against the world No 12 from Hong Kong.
The 29-year-old, having defeated compatriot Lakshya Sen in the first round, was at the top of his game from the get-go against Angus. He showed incredible control and moved swiftly to build a healthy lead. A few errors towards the end helped the Hong Kong player get to double digits but Prannoy closed out the opener soon after.
The second game was a tighter affair, with Angus staying within touching distance and trailing 9-11 at the interval. But Prannoy raised the intensity again to win five of the next seven points, before going on to complete an impressive victory.
Earlier on Thursday, the rest of the Indians who qualified for the round of 16 stage saw their campaigns come to an end.
Sameer Verma, the other Indian men’s singles player in the fray, was the first one to take…
