India’s HS Prannoy advanced to the final of Malaysia Masters on Saturday after his opponent Christian Adinata of Indonesia was forced to retire during the game due to a knee injury.
Prannoy led 19-17 in the first game when Adinata twisted his knee cap and had to be taken off the court on a wheelchair.
Facing the opponent for the first time, Prannoy powered his way to an 11-1 lead. Unforced errors, however, crept into the Indian’s game, allowing the qualifier to claw his way back into the game.
Adinata particularly relied on net-play to string a recovery. He anticipated returns and positioned himself in advance to get the winning shots.
The point that got Adinata to parity, though, came from deeper in the court. Adinata pulled up in the air to connect a forehand smash and get the score level at 15-15.
Adinata remained in hunt till 17-17 when his backhand poke at a shot landed into the side gallery and handed Prannoy a one-point lead. The Indonesian was injured on the next point and had to end his contention.
Prannoy will face either Lin Chu Yi of Chinese Taipei or China’s Weng Hong Yang in the title clash.
Malaysia Masters is the first event for the Road to Paris- the qualifying cycle for Paris 2024 Olympics.
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