After defeating Hidayat last week, Sai fells World No. 4 at Singapore Open.
Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth is emerging as a giant killer in the world of badminton.
Only 20 and he is considered someone who can make it big. He stunned World No. 4 Hun Yu of Hong Kong in the first round of the Singapore Open Super Series on Wednesday.
Praneeth, who upset Taufik Hidayat in the Indonesian great’s final appearance last week in Indonesia, showed second-seeded Yu the door by registering a 21-9 21-10 win in just 30 minutes.
The Indian qualifier will take on Malaysian Wei Feng Chong in second round on Thursday. Chong defeated Sai’s compatriot, RMV Gurusaidutt, 15-21 21-18 21-9.
In women’s singles, second-seeded Saina Nehwal opened her campaign with a 21-14 23-21 win over Singapore’s Juan Gu. The London Olympics bronze medallist will face Japan’s Eriko Hirose in the second round.
Earlier, neither Praneeth nor Yu tried the smash on Wednesday. Match statistics also show that neither had a net winner. All the points earned were ‘clear winners’.
“Both the players did not take risk as there was a lot of drift on the court. They both played at the same pace, parallel to each other,” said Mohammad Maqdoom, the Indian team sports analyst. Right-hander Praneeth has gone to Singapore on his own and not as part of the Badminton Association of India’s team. His trip has been funded by the Olympic Gold Quest, which took him under its wings more than two years ago.
Praneeth has been training under Pullela Gopichand for over seven years now. And and is making steady progress with some impressive performances at international tournaments. His best effort came when he won the Bahrain International Challenge last November. His father, Deekshitulu, was elated on Thursday. “He has got some good results, beating top players. We are happy with his progress,” said the businessman who deals in elevators in Hyderabad.
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