HS Prannoy, at one point, was 2-11 down in the decider of his first-round match at the China Open Super 1000. Fast forward a bit, and he was 15-20 down, facing five match points and a near certain early exit. At the end, though, the score for his match against Koki Watanabe read 8-21, 21-16... 23-21, in his favour.
33-years-old and down to World No. 35 in the BWF rankings, Prannoy pulled off a miracle win, and that on his international badminton comeback after nearly two months out. It was a 57-minute marathon against an athlete seven years his junior, and ranked 14 places higher, and the lopsidedness of the scoreline tells its own tale. Prannoy went from being outplayed in the first game to finding an extra gear to close out a match that tested his legs and skill and nerve.
The final escape act was theatrical almost -- it had a 50-shot rally, reflex shots that became winners, an all-court defence, a dogged determination to not lose even after saving five match points and squandering one. It was a throwback to his prime from just two years ago.
Now, in any circumstance this kind of a thrilling fightback win is a fantastic achievement on the highest rung of the BWF World Tour, even if it comes from a player like Prannoy, whose best wins have come in third-game battles. But add the background of Prannoy's abject physical struggles in the past one year and you can see how prevailing in such a marathon is an extraordinary feat of mind and body.
Last year, before the Olympics, Prannoy -- enjoying the form of his life, a top 8 player and potential medal contender -- contracted chikungunya and his physicality hasn't been the same since. He took a six-month break from badminton, used protected rankings but couldn't find his touch in the aftermath of the illness which severely compromised his fitness.
Prannoy has made no bones about his diminished capacity, candidly admitted that he may not be at 100% in many matches but is happy to be able to actually still play at a high level.
"I've realized that constant search of getting to 100% can take some time. With all that happened before Olympics, it took me really long to just start playing.... almost five months to even just hold the racket which [shows] how bad the entire situation was," Prannoy told ESPN back in May when he was signed on by the Reliance Foundation.
WHAT A COMEBACK!
HS Prannoy, that was something special �� pic.twitter.com/01xgk6lQUW
- ESPN India (@ESPNIndia) July 22, 2025
"Since January I have been constantly on tour at least, been able to play and consistently train every day. There's been few breaks here and there with a few niggles because of the Chikungunya but I look at the positives: I'm still on the circuit; there's still an opportunity to play big matches. The wins are probably not coming as I wanted to, but that's our sport sometimes. You just have to hang on and it might turn in some tournament and that's what you're waiting for."
This win at the end of July could well be one such moment, the opportunity he's been waiting for, a result and a fight that proves he still belongs at this level after all the hard work to get back here.
Since his return from the illness, he had started fading in matches physically, fell out of the Top 32 (which meant direct entry into main draw became difficult) and had started being outrun by younger players. But to put that behind and pull off such a terrific win will be a huge morale boost. For an athlete in his mid-30s who has had to learn to manage his own expectations and silence the doubts in his own head at times, even a big first-round win is important.
"The challenge from a base perspective is the same, you're trying to find that win. There is a lot of constant doubts which kind of comes up - is it possible to do what you have done in the past again? But I think the important thing is to let that feeling go and I've been trying my best to let that feeling go, saying that this is one more time in my career where things are looking a little tough."
A late bloomer, he's had these times before, frequently when his gastric-health issues didn't let him achieve his full potential in his mid-20s. But he's fought back in his 30s to win a Thomas Cup, and medals at the World Championships and Asian Games. From that to needing that one win has been a tough journey... but Prannoy is used to it.
"[At] this point in my career, every win matters. I'm happy to be back on tour; small breaks happened here and there. The level of playing has gone high, and winning each round is getting tougher day by day," Prannoy said after the win. "The average age has become 22- 23 in the men's singles all of a sudden. A lot of fresh faces, and you don't know what their game is. So, it's tough to be a veteran out there."
The fact that at 33, when singles badminton players can be considered in the twilight of their careers, Prannoy is pushing himself hard and has a new backer in Reliance Foundation, speaks volumes of his perseverance as he attempts to be a force again. Getting back to the peak of 2023 may be hard with his 2025 body, but this match in China has given him and his team hope that there may be a classic Prannoy-style fightback on the cards.
Up next, he faces another veteran fighting against time in 6th seed Chou Tien Chen. They are familiar opponents, with the Chinse Taipei player leading their H2H 7-6. It's hard to predict how this will go with their penchant for gruelling matches, but there's one thing we do know - Prannoy won't give up without his trademark fight, a fight that's well and truly back in his legs now.