Malvika Bansod had lost in back-to-back matches against Han Yue in Kuala Lumpur only last week. On Wednesday, the 23-year-old pushed her top-ranked opponent to the limit, winning the first match and being on the verge of an upset before experience allowed the Chinese, world number 4, to advance to the Indian Open.
Malvika, however, was happy with her performance. “In less than five days, I was able to take a match and make the necessary corrections. I’m sure the next time I play it, it will be my turn to win. I couldn’t convert my chances in the third game but I am happy with my performance today,” Malvika said after the match.
Asked about the changes she made during that time, she laughed.
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“I can’t reveal that much, that would be unfair of me!” But she has a few particular angles that she plays and I feel like I was stuck there, so I was a little more prepared for that. There were some strategic errors last week, again I was leading 10-5 but I couldn’t convert. Today I made the necessary changes and I’m happy that I was able to convert the first play. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the victory, but I had a great experience playing at home,” Malvika said.
Prannoy, still recovering from the after-effects of Chikungunya he suffered last year, admitted that the road back has been difficult. “The last few months have been difficult but things are improving. I can also see an improvement in my game. It will be a difficult challenge to play regularly at a high level without interruption,” said the 32-year-old.
Prannoy, still recovering from the effects of the Chikungunya he suffered last year, was unable to continue his initial momentum, failing against Su Li Yang 16-21, 21-18, 21-12. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar/The Hindu
Prannoy, still recovering from the effects of the Chikungunya he suffered last year, was unable to continue his initial momentum, failing against Su Li Yang 16-21, 21-18, 21-12. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar/The Hindu
“After Chikungunya, it was really difficult to get back to normal. I’m still only at about 60-70 percent in terms of fitness. It was important for me to continue playing on the circuit and stay involved. Malaysia was a good outing, but I had some issues afterwards which made the day difficult. But I’m happy to be back on the circuit. It takes a lot of work to be physically ready. The amount of time you have to dedicate to the physical side just to play a three-set match every day is enormous,” he added.
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Lakshya Sen, on the other hand, simply admitted that it was an off day and that he was unable to hold his own against his much faster and more offensive opponent. It was his second straight first-round exit after last week’s Malaysia Open setback and the 12th-ranked Indian admitted he needed to regain his momentum.
“I tried to do my best, but I also owe it to him for playing very well. I was prepared for a tough match today but I couldn’t do what I wanted,” said Lakshya, who will next compete in the Indonesia Masters.
