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H S Prannoy fought valiantly before losing to fifth seed Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan in the men's singles quarterfinal, drawing curtains on India's campaign at the New Zealand Open badminton tournament on&nbsp;Friday.

Unseeded <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/top-shuttlers-prannoy-praneeth-blame-bais-administrative-mess-for-missing-asian-badminton-championship-212644&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjP5c2RmP_hAhUISY8KHQPEDJ0QFjABegQIDxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2H_1ELYySTiFy6u-LW3j91">Prannoy</a> squandered a one-game advantage before losing 21-17 15-21 14-21 to world number 11 Japanese shuttler in a marathon last-eight round match which lasted an hour and 13 minutes.

The two shuttlers now enjoy a 1-1 head-to-head record against each other.

The first game witnessed a close fight between Prannoy and Tsuneyama as both matched each other stroke for stroke till the first 13 points before the Indian pocketed four straight points to surge ahead 17-13.

The Japanese didn't give up and reduced the gap to 17-18 before Prannoy secured three points on the trot to take the first game.

Prannoy raced to a 4-0 lead in the second game soon before extending it to 11-5.

But then the Indian hit a roadblock and committed unforced errors to give his opponent a leeway and the Tsuneyama grabbed the chance with both hands. He won eight straight points to move ahead 14-11.

The Indian managed to draw level at 14 apiece before Tsuneyama closed out the game at 21-15 in his favour.

The decider too was a hard-fought one as both the shuttlers were not in a mood to concede an each.

They were tied at 14-14 before the Japanese lifted his game to seal the tie.

Tsuneyama will play third seed and Jakarta Asian Games gold medallist Jonathan Christie in the last-four round.

H S Prannoy fought valiantly before losing to fifth seed Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan in the men's singles quarterfinal, drawing curtains on India's campaign at the New Zealand Open badminton tournament on Friday.

H S Prannoy fought valiantly before losing to fifth seed Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan in the men's singles quarterfinal, drawing curtains on India's campaign at the New Zealand Open badminton tournament on Friday. Unseeded Prannoy squandered a one-game advantage before losing 21-17 15-21 14-21 to world number 11 Japanese shuttler in a marathon last-eight round match which lasted an hour and 13 minutes. The two shuttlers now enjoy a 1-1 head-to-head record against each other. The first game witnessed a close fight between Prannoy and Tsuneyama as both matched each other stroke for stroke till the first 13 points before the Indian pocketed four straight points to surge ahead 17-13. The Japanese didn't give up and reduced the gap to 17-18 before Prannoy secured three points on the trot to take the first game. Prannoy raced to a 4-0 lead in the second game soon before extending it to 11-5. But then the Indian hit a roadblock and committed unforced errors to give his opponent a leeway and the Tsuneyama grabbed the chance with both hands. He won eight straight points to move ahead 14-11. The Indian managed to draw level at 14 apiece before Tsuneyama closed out the game at 21-15 in his favour. The decider too was a hard-fought one as both the shuttlers were not in a mood to concede an each. They were tied at 14-14 before the Japanese lifted his game to seal the tie. Tsuneyama will play third seed and Jakarta Asian Games gold medallist Jonathan Christie in the last-four round.

HS Prannoy crashes out from NZ Open badminton tournament, India's campaign ends

India's Saina Nehwal suffered a shocking first-round loss to world number 212 Wang Zhiyi of China in straight games to exit the New Zealand Open here Wednesday.

The 29-year-old Olympic bronze medallist and world number nine lost 16-21 23-21 4-21 to her 19-year-old opponent in the women's singles match that lasted one hour and seven minutes.

In men's singles, Lakshya Sen's campaign also ended with a hard-fought loss against Taiwan's Wang Tzu Wei. Lakshya lost 21-15 18-21 10-21 in an hour and eight minutes.

Earlier in the day, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy fought hard against Chinese duo of Liu Xuanxuan and Xia Yuting before losing 14-21 23-21 14-21 in an hour and 10 minutes.

But the men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy registered a win over New Zealand's Joshua Feng and Jack Jiang 21-17 21-10.

Saina, a World Championship silver medallist, trailed 0-4 in the first game and was unable to keep up with her opponent losing 16-21.&nbsp;

Wang stretched Saina in the second game which the Indian won 23-21. There was no fightback from the Indian in the decider as Wang won eight consecutive points to win it easily.

Anura Prabhudesai also lost to world number 15 Li Xuerui 9-21 10-21 in singles first round on a disappointing day for Indian shuttlers.

India's Saina Nehwal suffered a shocking first-round loss to world number 212 Wang Zhiyi of China in straight games to exit the New Zealand Open here Wednesday. The 29-year-old Olympic bronze medallist and world number nine lost 16-21 23-21 4-21 to her 19-year-old opponent in the women's singles match that lasted one hour and seven minutes.

India's Saina Nehwal suffered a shocking first-round loss to world number 212 Wang Zhiyi of China in straight games to exit the New Zealand Open here Wednesday. The 29-year-old Olympic bronze medallist and world number nine lost 16-21 23-21 4-21 to her 19-year-old opponent in the women's singles match that lasted one hour and seven minutes. In men's singles, Lakshya Sen's campaign also ended with a hard-fought loss against Taiwan's Wang Tzu Wei. Lakshya lost 21-15 18-21 10-21 in an hour and eight minutes. Earlier in the day, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy fought hard against Chinese duo of Liu Xuanxuan and Xia Yuting before losing 14-21 23-21 14-21 in an hour and 10 minutes. But the men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy registered a win over New Zealand's Joshua Feng and Jack Jiang 21-17 21-10. Saina, a World Championship silver medallist, trailed 0-4 in the first game and was unable to keep up with her opponent losing 16-21. Wang stretched Saina in the second game which the Indian won 23-21. There was no fightback from the Indian in the decider as Wang won eight consecutive points to win it easily. Anura Prabhudesai also lost to world number 15 Li Xuerui 9-21 10-21 in singles first round on a disappointing day for Indian shuttlers.

Saina Nehwal crashes out of New Zealand Open

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New Zealand to open from April next year

HS Prannoy crashes out from NZ Open badminton tournament, India's campaign ends

Saina Nehwal crashes out of New Zealand Open