India's no. 1 men's shuttler HS Prannoy on Thursday secured a thrilling quarterfinal victory against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia, earning a spot in the semifinals at the 19th Asian Games. The 31-year-old registered a 21-16, 21-23, 22-20 to secure a semifinal berth and assured India's first medal in men's singles after Syed Modi's bronze medal in 1982. HS Prannoy Enters Men’s Singles Badminton Semifinals With Victory over Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in Asian Games 2023, Assures Medal.

Prannoy took the first game and even held two match points in the second. Nevertheless, the former world No. 2 Malaysian made a strong comeback to equalize the game. During the third game, Zii Jia reversed the momentum, securing two match points. Despite this, Prannoy demonstrated his skill by scoring four consecutive points to seal the victory. ‘Believe That I Can Come Back Stronger’ Says PV Sindhu on Quarterfinal Loss to He Bingjiao in Women’s Singles Badminton at Asian Games 2023.

Earlier, India's campaign in the women's singles badminton at the 19th Asian Games ended with two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu losing 21-16, 21-12 to her old nemesis He Bing Jiao of China in a quarterfinal clash. India's top-ranked men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will also take the court in the quarterfinal later in the day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 05, 2023 01:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).