HS Prannoy's projected path to gold medal at Paris Olympics 2024

India’s HS Prannoy is seeded 13th in the men’s singles.

The draw for the badminton events at the Paris 2024 Olympics took place on Friday in Kuala Lumpur, conducted by the BWF. The draws for the men’s singles (MS), women’s singles (WS), women’s doubles (WD) and mixed doubles (XD) categories were completed while men’s doubles (MD) missed out.

A total of 41 male shuttlers were part of the men’s singles draw. They have been drawn into 16 groups, from A to P. While HS Prannoy got an easier group, the knockout rounds will demand his A-game from India’s No. 1.

It will be interesting as another Indian Lakshya Sen is placed in the same quarter, with the possibility of the two meeting in the Round of 16. Now, let’s look at his path to the gold medal match:

Group Stage: Le Duc Phat and Fabian Roth

The 31-year-old is seeded 13th and placed in Group K along with Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat (WR 70) and Germany’s Fabian Roth (WR 82). Both of the opponents are ranked on the lower side. Prannoy is expected to finish at the top of the group and progress further.

Round of 16: Jonatan Christie

HS Prannoy will possibly face Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie [3] in the Round of 16. Christie is highly-ranked and has been remarkable on the world tour. He also leads Prannoy in their head-to-head record. Prannoy is known for his unpredictable play against highly-ranked shuttlers and will be backing himself.

Meanwhile, if his compatriot Lakshya Sen manages to top Group L, we could witness an all-Indian Round of 16 clash at Paris 2024.

Quarter-Finals: Kodai Naraoka or Chou Tien Chen

In the quarter-finals, his potential opponents could be Japan’s Kodai Naraoka [5] or Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen [12]. Chou Tien Chen could face a challenge from Lee CY in his group, while Naraoka has an easy group with lower-ranked opponents.

Semi-Finals: Viktor Axelsen or LI Shi Feng

Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen [2] or China’s LI Shi Feng [6] would be potential opponents for Prannoy in the semis. Prannoy would expect to face Axelsen in the semis and eye to repeat the heroics against him. India’s No.1 shuttler has given a tough fight to the Dane and eventually became one of the few to beat him. While if we talk about the Chinese, they are always a threat.

Final: Shi Yu Qi or Anders Antonsen

HS Prannoy will face the winner of the upper half of the draw in the gold medal match. The upper half includes China’s Shi Yu Qui, who is ranked 1st in the world and will be up for the challenge. He has won four world tour titles in 2024.

The European champion, on the other hand, has been in some form on the world tour. He has produced some great results this season. This will be Prannoy’s first appearance at the Olympics and he will be giving his absolute best. The badminton events will begin on July 27 and the group phase will continue till July 31.

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