World no. 10 Indian men’s singles shuttler HS Prannoy defeated the All England 2023 champion, world no. 6 Li Shi Feng of China, 21-17, 21-13, in the round of 32 at the Japan Open 2023 in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Prannoy will be up against compatriot and former world no. 1 Kidambi Srikanth in the round of 16 on Thursday. The winner will likely be up against top-seeded Viktor Axelsen.
Prannoy, who won his first BWF World Tour title at the Malaysia Masters in May, remains India’s top-ranked player but dropped two spots to 10th. He is seeded eighth and had a 2-0 record against Shi Feng.