Praneeth stuns Srikanth to put Hyderabad in control

Praneeth, who had beaten trump player Srikanth last year in the Singapore Open to win his first Super Series title, was completely dominant in the match and after initial burst of points from the Denmark Open winner; it was Praneeth who controlled the opening game with his precision. He went into the break with a slender 7-8 deficit but after the interval, Sai displayed great precision to win the opening game.

In the second game, Sai was playing like a man possessed and raced to an 8-0 lead. Even though, Awadhe’s Srikanth did very well to reduce the gap and take points, the Hyderabadi player sealed the match to win his first match of the tie. 

Earlier, World No.18 Lee Hyun Il of Korea registered a thrilling 13-15, 15-9, 15-14 victory over Parupalli Kashyap to guide Hyderabad Hunters to an early 2-0 lead against Awadhe Warriors.

Kashyap who has been in stellar form in this season started off the proceeding on a high note with his power smashes proving no match for the 37-year-old Korean. It was a treat to watch the way the Indian way moving on the court and firing in his winners. Even though the Lee gave him a tough fight it was the Indian who bagged the opening game. 

In the second game, Lee got his act together and was quick off the blocks.