HS Prannoy settles for bronze at World Badminton Championship, loses to Thailand's Vitidsarn in semis

COPENHAGEN: Indian shuttler Prannoy HS had to settle for a bronze medal as he registered a loss to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semifinals of the ongoing Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships on Saturday.

Prannoy went down to world number three and three-time Junior champion Vitidsarn by 21-18, 13-21, 14-21.

Prannoy and Vitidsarn were neck-to-neck in the first game, but the Indian won the first game easily.

Vitidsarn staged a comeback in the second game. Prannoy fought hard but lost the game by 13-21, setting up an exciting decider.

In the decider, Prannoy was trailing right from the start. Nonetheless, he continued to fight, but it was not enough to overcome Vitidsarn, who won the third game by 14-21 and secured the match.

Prannoy stormed into the semi-final of the BWF World Championships after defeating World Number 2 and the defending champion Viktor Axelsen at Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

With this win, World Number 7 Prannoy assured a bronze medal for India by beating the home favourite Axelsen in three games 21-13, 15-21, 16-21.

This is India's 14th medal at the World Championships. This includes one gold, four silvers and nine bronze medals.