HS Prannoy sinks compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat to reach Australian Open 2023 final

HS Prannoy progressed to the men’s singles final of the Australian Open 2023 with a straight games victory over compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat on Saturday. World No 9 registered a 21-18, 21-12 victory over the 21-year-old Rajawat in 43 minutes to reach his second Super 500 tournament final on the BWF World Tour in 2023. Orleans Masters champion and unseeded Rajawat gave a tough fight to Prannoy in the first game and continued to impress in the second game as well but after the break Prannoy, who won the Malaysia Masters in May, changed gears and unleashed a series of attacking shots and smashes to kill the opponent’s challenge. Prannoy will be up against China’s Weng Hong Yang in the final. World No 24 Weng Hong Yang defeated Malaysia’s World No 17 Lee Zii Jia in the other semi-final 21-19, 13-21, 21-13.