India Open 2024 Highlights: Shi Yuqi ousts HS Prannoy 21-15, 21-5 to qualify for final

India Open 2024, Day 5 preview: HS Prannoy and the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will hope to keep the Indian flag flying high in their home event when they enter their respective India Open semi-final clashes on Saturday in New Delhi. Prannoy faces China’s Shi Yu Qi in the second men’s singles semi-final, which will be the penultimate match of the day. That will be followed by Satwik-Chirag taking on Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the men’s doubles semi-final, which will be the final match of the day. While Satwik and Chirag, who had finished runners-up at the Malaysia Open recently, start solid favourites against Aaron-Wooi Yik, Prannoy can expect a stiff challenge from Yu Qi, who has won five out of seven meetings in their head-to-head record. Prannoy defeated Chou Tien Chen 21-6, 21-19 in the first round and followed it up with a hard-fought 20-22, 21-14, 21-14 win against compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat, who had stunned fellow Indian Lakshya Sen earlier in the tournament. Prannoy would then enter the semis with a 21-11, 17-21, 21-18 victory over Wang Tzu Wei in the quarters. Satwik-Chirag, on the other hand, defeated Chinese Taipei’s Fang-Chih Lee and Fang-Jen Lee 21-15, 19-21, 21-16 in the opening round. They would vanquish another Chinese Taipei pair — Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han — 21-14, 21-15 in the next round before defeating Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 13-21, 22-20, 21-11 in the quarters.