Hong Kong Open: Ayush Shetty stuns World No. 9 Naraoka, Lakshya knocks out Prannoy

Ayush Shetty produced the biggest win of his young career on Thursday, stunning World No. 9 Kodai Naraoka to storm into the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open 2025. The 19-year-old, a former World Junior Championships medalist, displayed fearless attacking play to topple the Japanese star 21-19, 12-21, 21-14 in a tense pre-quarterfinal clash.

This result secured Shetty his maiden BWF World Tour Super 500 quarter-final appearance and also ensured India at least one semi-final berth, with the youngster now set to face compatriot Lakshya Sen in the last eight.

Sen, meanwhile, overcame a slow start to defeat HS Prannoy in another all-Indian encounter. The 23-year-old came from behind to post a 15-21, 21-18, 21-10 victory, reaching the quarter-finals of a BWF Super 500 or higher event for the first time in six months.

The Sen-Prannoy battle has become a recurring feature on the World Tour, with Thursday's contest marking their ninth meeting in the past three years. Lakshya now leads their head-to-head 6-3.

Prannoy, 33, looked sharp in the opening game, controlling rallies with ease as he ran away 21-15. He even carried the momentum into the second game, racing to a 4-0 cushion. But a timely six-point burst helped Lakshya wrest back control.

From 18-18, the younger shuttler held his nerve-a booming smash and two errors from Prannoy handed Lakshya the game. In the decider, Prannoy again started well but soon crumbled under pressure, making errors at crucial moments. Lakshya capitalised ruthlessly, turning a 9-13 deficit into complete dominance. A flurry of mistakes from Prannoy gave Lakshya 10 match points, and he sealed the contest when his senior miscued yet again.

Lakshya, who has endured an up-and-down season with injuries and early exits, last made the semifinals at the prestigious All England Open in March. His return to the deep end of a Super 500 event will be a welcome boost ahead of the packed closing stretch of the season.

Earlier in the day, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also reached the quarter-finals of the Super 500 badminton tournament on Thursday. The world's No. 9 men's doubles pair will next face Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap.