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Hyderabad Hunters

Swiss Open, Could Be One of the Stepping Stones for Sai’s Long-term Success

By: Editor
Date: 18 Mar, 2019
Image Courtesy: Hyderabad Hunters
One game up, tied 18-18 in the second and not having lost a single game all week – B Sai Praneeth – had all the reasons to believe that a second major title of his career. But a smash into the body, that Sai failed to read and thereby deal with properly handed Shi Yuqi a slender lead. And that was the turning point of the summit clash.

These are the small margins that dictates the color of your medal at the elite level of world badminton. And if Sai Praneeth, feels even slightly aggrieved at having missed out on the Swiss Open Championship title, he does indeed have every reason to do so!

I’ve said this earlier, and I will have no hesitation in saying it again – there are few players more sublime than Sai Praneeth in full flow. In another life, he might as well have been a painter – for he seems to paint broad strokes with his shuttle rather than punish the bird, like more power players of the current generation.

Sai plays with a sense of ease, that he may often look too laidback; but let me remind, there are few players who can package that lazy elegance with the kind of steely resolve that he does.

The last few months have of course seen a resurgent Sai Praneeth.

Following the successful title win at the Premier Badminton League with the Bengaluru Blasters, Sai Praneeth has featured in three HSBC BWF World Tour tournaments and each time he’s stepped on court, one can see an improvement in his performance.

A R-32 at Indonesia was followed by a R-16 at the All England, and now a silver finish at the Swiss Open. This upward graph on the World Tour suggests that this can well be the breakthrough year for the world number 22. 

With the Olympic qualifications still in the balance, this could be a crucial year for Sai Praneeth and an excellent start can only augur well for him. 

Add a few titles, and some ranking points to his exciting stroke play, Sai Praneeth is one of those players who’s sure to get bums-on-seats at tournaments. He’s one of those players, you’d love to watch, even from a neutral standpoint.

So, here’s hoping that the summit miss in the Swiss Alps is just another stepping stone to his successful accession to the top of the world badminton leader-board. 

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