India’s HS Prannoy bowed out of the All England Championships on Tuesday, suffering a straight-game defeat to France’s Toma Junior Popov in the men’s singles opening round. On a comeback trail, Prannoy, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships and Asian Games, fought for 53 minutes before going down 19-21, 16-21 to Popov, who is currently ranked 17th in the world. The 32-year-old, ranked 29th, had his chances in the opening game, leading 6-1 and 15-12, but faltered in the face of the relentless pressure of Popov, who turned the game around from 16-18 to 19-18 before taking the lead.

Popov grew in confidence after the change of ends, moving from 5-3 to 13-9. Prannoy fought back to level at 13-13, but Popov surged ahead as the Indian crumbled.

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