Hyderabad: A defiant H.S. Prannoy shrugged off a one-game deficit to pull Mumbai Rockets level on points with Awadhe Warriors after two matches in the second semifinal of the Premier Badminton League played at the GMC Balayogi Indoor Stadium here, on Friday.
Faced with the task of restoring parity after the Rockets lost the opening mixed doubles match, Prannoy defeated Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 12-15, 15-7, 15-9.
The Thai southpaw was very calm in the opening set, finding winners with ease. Prannoy was visibly frustrated after the opening game ended 15-12 in his opponent’s favour, and he used the frustration to fuel a brilliant comeback.
The Rockets player was relentless in the second game, pushing Tanongsak into erring more often than not as he clinched the game 15-7 to force the match into the decider.
The final game saw both players up the tempo initially before Prannoy ran away with the game 15-9 to seal a well-earned victory.
Earlier, it was a fight to the finish between the Awadhe Warriors and Mumbai Rockets in the opening mixed doubles match. The Warriors’ Christinna Pedersen and Bodin Issara fought back valiantly from a game down to defeat Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Vladimir Ivanov 12-15, 15-13, 15-14.
There was very little to choose between the two sides in the opening game, which Kamilla-Vladimir pocketed 15-12. Not ones to lose heart, the tenacious Bodin-Christinna clawed their way back into contention when they clinched the second game 15-13. It was a race to the finish in the decider, which was a see-saw affair from the start.
Both teams gave back as good as they got and, with the scores posed at 14-14, the Rockets hit the shuttle long to spark wild celebrations from the Lucknow-based outfit.
