A valiant HS Prannoy battled his way into the semifinal of the men's singles with a thrilling three-game win over Malaysia Lee Zii Jia to assure India a badminton medal on October 5.
Battling a back injury, world no.7 Prannoy dug deep to eke out a fighting 21-16 21-23 22-20 win over world no.16 Zii Jia in a marathon 78-minute quarterfinal contest.
A tired Prannoy saved two match points in the decider with his booming smashes and deceptions to register a great victory.
Prannoy's medal will be the first in men's singles at the Asian Games since Syed Modi's bronze in the 1982 edition in New Delhi.
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