Kuala Lumpur, Jan 13 (PTI) India’s HS Prannoy went down fighting to world number 7 Japanese Kodai Naraoka in a gruelling three-game quarterfinals at the Malaysia Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Friday.
The 30-year-old from Kerala ran out of steam in the 84-minute contest, losing 16-21 21-19 10-21 to the 21-year-old Naraoka, who seemed faster and fitter, despite playing two long matches in the earlier rounds.
This was Naraoka’s third win over the Indian in as many meetings. He had defeated Prannoy in three games at the Singapore Open and World Tour Finals last year.
