Singapore Open 2026: Prannoy upsets fifth-ranked Jonatan Christie; Lakshya Sen, Dhruv-Kapila advance too (Ld)
Singapore, May 27
India's HS Prannoy upset World No. 5 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 10-21, 21-12, 21-18 in a 61-minute men's singles battle on Day 2 of the Singapore Open at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Lakshya Sen defeated China's Lu Guang Zu 21-17, 21-15, and mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced to the next round following a 21-14, 20-22, 21-13 victory over Malaysia's Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien.
Former World No. 6 Prannoy made a strong comeback after dropping the opening game. Despite Christie holding a 7-3 advantage in their previous meetings, the Indian took control of the second game from 2-all and never allowed the Indonesian to outplay him, comfortably closing it 21-12.
The decider turned into a tense contest. While Jonatan held the advantage through the early exchanges, momentum shifted towards Prannoy in the closing stages. Trailing 16-18, the Indian shuttler scored five consecutive points to seal the victory 21-18. Prannoy will next face Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in the Round of 16, who defeated India's Kidambi Srikanth 22-20, 19-21, 21-17.
Lakshya Sen defeated Lu Guang Zu in straight games in the other men's singles clash to book his place in the pre-quarterfinals. A tough challenge awaits the Indian next as he faces Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who had beaten Sen in the quarterfinals of the Thailand Open 2026 last month.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv and Tanisha secured the opening game before the Malaysians forced the match into a decider. The Indian pair responded strongly, taking control from 7-6 in the final game to seal a 21-13 win in 58 minutes.
In women's singles, Malvika Bansod went down fighting against Lin Hsiang Ti 21-11, 19-21, 12-21. Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda lost in the Women's doubles.
Earlier on Tuesday, Indian seniors PV Sindhu and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty started their Singapore Open campaign on a positive note, advancing to the next round after defeating their respective opponents. Sindhu overcame Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-17, 21-18 in women's singles, while Satwik-Chirag defeated Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith 26-28, 21-15, 21-13 in men's doubles.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good to see Prannoy taking down Jonatan Christie, especially given their head-to-head record wasn't in his favor. But we need to be honest here—Indian badminton is still too dependent on a few players like Sindhu, Prannoy, and Satwik-Chirag. The likes of Malvika Bansod and Kidambi Srikanth need to step up consistently. Hope the depth improves soon!
Impressive resilience from Prannoy. Losing the first game 10-21 and then coming back to win the next two is classic Indian grit. The match against Loh Kean Yew will be tricky though—LKY is in good form after beating Srikanth. I'd say Prannoy needs to work on his consistency in the early rallies to avoid giving away such leads.
Proud moment for Indian badminton! Prannoy vs Christie is always a thriller, and this one didn't disappoint. That 5-point streak from 16-18 to win the decider? Chills! 😍 Also happy for Dhruv-Tanisha—mixed doubles is an area where we need more investment. Lakshya vs Vitidsarn next is going to be a blockbuster; hope Sen gets his revenge from Thailand Open!
Good results overall, but I'm slightly worried about the women's singles. Sindhu is doing well, but Malvika Bansod losing after winning the second game shows we lack backup. Rutaparna and Swetaparna also lost. We need more depth in the women's categories to challenge the top nations. Still, Prannoy's win makes my day—jai hind! 🙏
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