Prannoy stuns Watanabe to reach China Open pre-quarters

H S Prannoy staged a stunning comeback against Japan’s Koki Watanabe to reach the China Open 2025 pre-quarters, saving five match points in a thrilling three-game encounter in Changzhou

Hyderabad: H S Prannoy pulled off a remarkable comeback to enter the men’s singles round-of-16 at the China Open 2025, a BWF Super 1000 event underway at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou on Tuesday.

Facing World No. 18 Koki Watanabe of Japan, Prannoy (World No. 35) bounced back from a slow start to claim a nail-biting 8-21, 21-16, 23-21 win in just under an hour. After dropping the opening game, Prannoy found his rhythm in the second before staging a dramatic turnaround in the decider — where he trailed by nine points and saved five match points before sealing the win.

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He now faces sixth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the pre-quarterfinals.

Elsewhere, Lakshya Sen, Anupama Upadhyaya, and the mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde bowed out despite forcing their respective matches into deciding games.