Returning to action after recovering from a back injury, star India shuttler H.S. Prannoy emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the Japan Masters, advancing to the second round with a gritty win here on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old, who played with back pain en route to Asian Games bronze medal in his last outing, outsmarted Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong 22-20 19-21 21-17 in a 64-minute opening round clash at the Super 500 event.
Prannoy made a good start, taking a 11-6 lead at the first mid-game interval. Lee, however, managed to bring claw back at 14-14 but the Indian held his fort despite relentless pressure to eventually seal the opening game by the narrowest of margin.
