On Sunday, the Australian Open saw the only remaining Indian in the competition, HS Prannoy, take on Chinese Weng Hongyang in the men's singles final.
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In game one, Weng went into the interval 11-6 up. He then proceeded to extend his lead, going to 16-8 and eventually winning 21-9 to conjure visions of an early finish in the final.
But Prannoy was made of sterner stuff and instead of wilting, came out fighting in game two to lead by three points at the interval.
Weng then fought back to level the scores at 15, 16 and 19 points before finally levelling at 20 for a deuce. However, Prannoy prevailed 23-21 to send the match into a third game.
In game three, Prannoy again raced into a three-point interval lead, before going 19-14 up. At that point, Weng clawed his way back to win five points on the spin and equalise at 19 all.
This included a breathtaking 71-shot rally at 19-17 that ended in both players hitting the deck exhausted. Prannoy then made it 20-19 with a match point opportunity, but Weng won three points in a row to come from nowhere and lift the title, with Prannoy having to settle for the silver medal.
🥈🇮🇳 𝙎𝙄𝙇𝙑𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙋𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙊𝙔! HS Prannoy's splendid run comes to an end as he ends up as the runner-up in the Australian Open 2023 final.
— Sportwalk Media (@sportwalkmedia) August 6, 2023
💔 He lost against Weng Hongyang after putting on a brilliant fight in the final and missed out on the title by a whisker. He can… pic.twitter.com/yhechfpDhN
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How have Indian shuttlers performed in the Australian Open today?
Men's singles
Weng Hongyang (China) bt HS Prannoy (India) 21-9, 21-23, 22-20
