The atmosphere is electric here: HS Prannoy

HS Prannoy delivered a commanding performance in the men's singles group stage of the Olympics, defeating Fabian Roth of Germany with scores of 21-18, 21-12 on Sunday, at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris.

The 32-year-old shuttler, wrapped up his group K match in 45-minutes. 

'Tournament mode not easy'

After his victory, Prannoy reflected on his experience, and said, “When you’re on the winning side of it, I think it feels great. Yes, it started off a little patchy. I think the atmosphere is electric out there. So to kind of suddenly get into that tournament mode is not easy.”

He added, “I think I’ve seen a lot of players struggling out there in the first matches. Yeah, but happy that I could kind of push through that first game and wrap it up in straight sets.”

In the match, Roth, ranked No. 82 in the world, put up a tough fight, especially in the first game where he led 14-11 at one point.

However, Prannoy’s agility and sharpness accelerated the pace, closing the gap to 19-17.

A decisive smash earned him two game points, which he converted after Roth made a net error.

The second game saw Prannoy in a more dominant position as he quickly established a 7-3 lead.

His net play and attacking shots allowed him to extend his advantage to 16-11.

With a precise backhand stroke, he secured eight match points and sealed the victory when Roth’s shot went wide.

Prannoy is set to face Le Duc Phat of Vietnam on Wednesday in his second and final group match. His strong showing in this opening encounter sets a promising tone for his upcoming matches.