Malaysia Masters 2023: HS Prannoy beats Weng Hongyang to win maiden BWF World Tour title

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy defeated Chinese Weng Hong Yang 21-19, 13-21, 21-18 in the Malaysia Masters 2023 final to çlinch his first BWF World Tour title in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Prannoy and Weng faced off for the first time in the first game, with the former grabbing a slim 11-10 lead at the halfway mark.

Prannoy made the first move, going up 15-12 before the southpaw from China claimed three consecutive points to tie the game. The Indian, on the other hand, stayed on his forehands and regained the advantage. He won two game points and needed both to win 21-19.

In the second run, the Chinese shuttler responded quickly. While the tug of war persisted in the early points, Weng rallied late in the game to pocket seven-game points and finally win the game. As the game entered its third game, the rallies grew longer and the points became more fierce. Prannoy led 11-10 after rallying from a 5-7 disadvantage earlier in the game.

Prannoy built three-point leads following the final mid-game break, at 14-11 and 16-13, but allowed his opponent to close the gap. Prannoy won a point with a forehand winner with a 17-16 lead. However, two unforced errors on consecutive points brought Weng level at 18-18.

Prannoy earned two championship points with two forehand smashes down the line on either end, which he converted to win his first tour-level title.

Prannoy was vital in India’s thrilling Thomas Cup victory last year, but he hasn’t won an individual trophy since the 2017 US Open Grand Prix Gold. The Kerala shuttler came close to ending his title drought last year when he reached the finals of the Swiss Open and finished in the semifinals of the Malaysian Open and the Indonesia Super 1000.

Prannoy faced a slew of ailments and health concerns before resuming his career at the latter end of 2021. He has been the most consistent Indian player on the tour for the last two years, but he has yet to put it all together in a week to win a major title on the BWF World Tour.