"Prannoy is like Saudi Arabia in World Cup 2022" - Twitterati react as HS Prannoy upsets World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen at BWF World Tour Finals

World No. 12 HS Prannoy ended his debut BWF World Tour Finals campaign on a high with a stunning 14-21, 21-17, 21-18 upset win over top-ranked Viktor Axelsen in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday.

Unfortunately, for Prannoy, the win came too late. The Keralite had suffered 12-21, 21-9, 17-21 in his first round-robin match against World No. 14 Kodai Naraoka. Prannoy once again went close before falling 21-23, 21-17, 19-21 against 17th-ranked Lu Guangzu in his second group match of the tournament.

The two heartbreaking losses robbed the Indian of any chance of progressing into the semifinals in his maiden appearance at the prestigious season-ending championships.

However, the 30-year-old made up for it in style. He dug deep in his final match of the season to outshine the irrepressible Viktor Axelsen in three games.

Considering the Dane has been the indisputable leader of the tour this year with seven titles in his kitty, including the World Championships and the All-England Open, this was indeed a monumental achievement for Prannoy.

Interestingly, this was Prannoy's second consecutive win over the Olympic champion, having defeated him at the 2021 Indonesia Masters as well.

End of the World Tour Finals for me and end of this years tournaments too.

A big win today against Axelsen but narrowly missed the other two matches in the league. Thanking everyone for all the support 🙏

A few days off before I start preparing for another big year -
2023 https://t.co/AZk0PSYn3A

Twitter was on fire after the Indian's big win at the BWF World Tour Finals. While some praised Prannoy's giant-killing skills, others rued that it came too late.

Some tweeps also remarked that the Pullela Gopichand protégé always manages to bring forth his best against higher-ranked players but fails to replicate it against lower-ranked opponents.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Prannoy is like Saudi Arabia in World Cup 2022. Win against the top seed but losing to the rest. twitter.com/BWFScore/statu…

@PRANNOYHSPRI @BAI_Media @Media_SAI @MIZUNOBADMINTON @UltrahumanHQ Well you did amazing, Prannoy! You beat Mars player actually! 🤣

🇮🇳🏸 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗬𝗟𝗘! Despite failing to qualify for the semi-final of the BWF World Tour Finals, Prannoy finishes the tournament on a high note.

📷 BWF • #HSPrannoy #BWFWorldTourFinals #Badminton #TeamIndia #BharatArmy https://t.co/TYIIa8j28z

@Sportskeeda To all those people who don't follow badminton. It's a huge achievement. Axelsen is in a red hot form. He hasn't a lost a single set in world championship. Prannoy put an end to his winning streak.

Prannoy played quite good in the tournament despite that knee issue. Look at his knee😅 He did well. https://t.co/Kx6oZkDRQe

BOTH goat and lord prannoy being THE goat for today twitter.com/bwfscore/statu…

Prannoy should be synonym for unpredictability 😢😭😭😭 twitter.com/BWFScore/statu…

What a moment to witness!! @PRANNOYHSPRI defeated current World No. 1 and Olympic Champion @ViktorAxelsen !

A true testament to all the hard work H.S. Prannoy.

Good luck to for your next endeavours and hope this will lead you to GOLD.

Congratulations!🎉 https://t.co/FYamXVM6tA

@PRANNOYHSPRI @BAI_Media @Media_SAI @MIZUNOBADMINTON @UltrahumanHQ A true Hero Prannoy.

@PRANNOYHSPRI @BAI_Media @Media_SAI @MIZUNOBADMINTON @UltrahumanHQ You kept the best for the last unfortunately! Keep fighting Prannoy

Prannoy i hate you man
Why do you always mess it up against lower ranked players 😐 twitter.com/BWFScore/statu…

"He controlled the conditions way better than I did" - Viktor Axelsen on HS Prannoy

#BWF | 💬 @ViktorAxelsen 🇩🇰 commented on the level of control Prannoy 🇮🇳 had in their match today. The Indian shuttler won the match after a 3 set sizzler!

Catch the #BWFWorldTourFinals LIVE on #SPOTVNOW, download the app bit.ly/SPOTVNOW!!

#ViktorAxelsen #HSPrannoy https://t.co/esD6rh6PPw

Defending champion Viktor Axelsen, meanwhile, was all praise for HS Prannoy. Following the match, the Dane said:

"Credit to Prannoy! I think he played a really good game. He went all out and played well, controlled the conditions way better than I did today."

While Axelsen advances to the semifinals, HS Prannoy wraps up a strong season that saw him reach the final of the Swiss Open and the quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships, among others.