On Sunday, India's HS Prannoy took on China's Weng Hong Yang in the final of the 2023 Australian Open.
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Weng won the first game 21-9 before Prannoy fought back to win the second 23-21. In the decider, Prannoy had taken an 11-8 and a 19-14 lead to close in on victory.
Weng would not give up without a fight, however, and won three consecutive points to make it 19-17.
71-shot badminton rally during HS Prannoy vs Weng Hong Yang match
At that pivotal juncture, with Weng knowing a point would ramp up the pressure on Prannoy and Prannoy knowing a point would take him ever so close to victory, the two engaged in an incredible rally, totalling a massive 71 shots and ending with both players on the deck.
the 71 shots rally between Prannoy & Hong Yang just now. Definisi lawan sampai habis tenaga 🙌🏻#AustralianOpen2023 pic.twitter.com/ZvNvdZgCQH
— Z 🇲🇾💎 (@theone_xyz2) August 6, 2023
The rally only ended when a clearly spent Prannoy ended up hitting his return into the net. Weng went on to level the game at 19 all before emerging victorious with a 22-20 win in a match that neither player deserved to lose. Prannoy had to settle for silver.
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