Prannoy, Sourabh progress; to face each other in US Open quarterfinals

H S Prannoy and Sourabh Verma registered hard-fought wins over their respective rivals to set up an all-Indian clash against each other in the men’s singles quarterfinals of the US Open badminton tournament.

Prannoy, seeded second, fought for exactly an hour to quell the challenge of Korean Kwang Hee Heo 21-16, 18-21, 21-16 in the second round on Thursday night.

Earlier in the day, Sourabh too had to toil hard to get past young compatriot Lakshya Sen 21-11,19-21, 21-12 in another second-round duel that lasted 53 minutes.

Their respective wins mean that a slot for an Indian is assured in the last-four round as Prannoy and Sourabh will face off against each other later on Friday.