Malaysia Open 2023: HS Prannoy vs Kodai Naraoka preview, head-to-head, prediction & live streaming details
World No. 8 HS Prannoy faces seventh-ranked Kodai Naraoka in his quest for a semifinal spot at the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, January 13.
Prannoy is the last Indian standing in singles at this Super 1000 tournament. Having enjoyed the most consistent season of his career last year, the Swiss Open runner-up has picked up from where left off in 2022.
He first got past seventh seed Lakshya Sen 22-24, 21-12, 21-18 in a thrilling first-round encounter this week. Prannoy then continued his good form with a 21-9, 15-21, 21-16 victory over World No. 19 Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in the second round on Thursday.
Prannoy, Sat-Chi continue to impress, Treesa-Gayatri fought hard! 🙌🔥
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HS Prannoy vs Kodai Naraoka: Head-to-head and prediction
Naraoka has a flawless 2-0 lead over Prannoy in their head-to-head, having beaten the Indian twice last year.
Their first meeting was at the Singapore Open, where the Japanese won 12-21, 21-14, 21-18. Their next showdown was at the BWF World Tour Finals. Prannoy bagged a game but fell 12-21, 21-9, 17-21.
The 21-year-old Naraoka was a promising junior who won a host of medals. These include the 2018 World Junior Championships silver, 2017 World Junior Championships bronze and the 2018 Youth Olympics bronze.
He has now made a smooth transition to the senior circuit, as evident from his breakout 2022 season. Naraoka won the Vietnam Open, while finishing as the runner-up at the Singapore Open, Korea Masters and Taipei Open.
Much like Prannoy, he, too, has had to fight hard for his two wins at the ongoing Malaysia Open. After downing Lee Zii Jia 13-21, 21-17, 21-19, the Japanese eked out a 15-21, 21-19, 21-15 win over NG Tze Yong.
Both have had to expend quite an amount of energy in their first couple of rounds. Going by their previous two clashes, they could be set for yet another titanic tussle. It remains to be seen how much they still have left in their tanks to fight it out for yet another marathon.
Prannoy ended up on the losing side in their last two showdowns. A few unforced errors at crucial junctures from the Keralite's racquet separated the two. It will be interesting to see if the Pullela Gopichand protégé has learnt his lesson and manages to polish up his game this time around.
Quarterfinals 📞
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HS Prannoy vs Kodai Naraoka: Date and time
HS Prannoy and Kodai Naraoka will square off in the men's singles quarterfinals at the Malaysia Open 2023 on Friday.
Date: January 13, 2023.
Time: 3:00 pm local time / 12:30 pm IST.
HS Prannoy vs Kodai Naraoka: Where to watch & live streaming details
The Malaysia Open 2023 is being broadcast live in India on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. Matches can also be watched on Voot Select.
Live streaming is available on YouTube on BWF.TV in selected territories as well. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software here.