HS Prannoy yesterday lost his men's singles quarter-final to Malaysian Lee Chong Wei at the India Open Super Series here, but gained the respect of the World No 1 nevertheless.
After winning the match 21-14, 21-19, the top-seeded Malaysian said: “This is the first time I played him and he played very well. He is a spirited fighter. I think he is one of India’s upcoming talents. In the second game, Prannoy played very well to lead the game most of the time,” said Lee going on to praise the young Indian badminton brigade here. “I know Saina Nehwal lost yesterday, but you had seven Indian players in the quarter-finals, which is very good,” added the 30-year-old.
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The Malaysian will next face Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana, who beat India’s V Gurusaidutt of India 21-12, 11-21, 21-12 in the other quarter-final.