Sai Praneeth might have lost his quarter-final match at the BWF badminton World Championships, but he did produce arguably the shot of the tournament.
The 25-year-old from India was playing against Japan’s Kento Momota for a place in the men’s singles semi-final when Momota appeared to have passed his opponent with a forehand.
But Praneeth wasn’t ready to lose the rally, so he did this.
Amazing @saiprneeth92 #TOTALBADMINTON #TOTALBWFWC2018 pic.twitter.com/8wowvgHBWH
— BWF (@bwfmedia) August 3, 2018
The around-the-back shot earned Praneeth an unlikely point to go 2-0 up in the second game, but he was beaten 21-12 21-12 by the eventual tournament winner.
Even so, the shot was recognised as one of the best moments of the tournament.
One of the best shots i have ever seen
— Siddharth Chanchani (@SiddharthChanc2) August 7, 2018
Beautifully played
— Manoj Kumar Singh (@ManojKu52108696) August 8, 2018
Lesson learned: Never presume a point to be over against Praneeth.
