Partisan crowd help stir Sai Praneeth's comeback

Indonesia's Indra Bagus is denied UAE Open title despite dictating play.

Dubai // As Indra Bagus held absolute sway in the second set, the possibility of an Indonesian getting his name on the winner's cheque of US$1,000 (Dh3,672) at the India Club UAE Open seemed a very real, though anticlimactic, possibility.

Sai Praneeth, however, made sure the fans would not leave disappointed.

The Indian upped his game in the decider to clinch a 21-13, 9-21, 21-12 win in a thrilling final, that kept the fans on the edge of their seats. A loud roar erupted as Bagus failed to put away a drop at the net on match-point.

"Most of the fans are from India, so they will obviously support me," said Praneeth, 19, who is a product of former All England champion P Gopichand's academy in Hyderabad.

"It was a good game. Bagus played really well. He was very strong at the net and both of us enjoyed the match."

The fans were instrumental in spurring Praneeth after the Indonesian, ranked No 91 in the world, made a strong comeback in the second set. Four years elder and much higher in the rankings, Bagus started dictating the pace and the points.

"In the second set, suddenly he started very fast and hitting really hard," said Praneeth, who is ranked No 205 in the world. "So it took me sometime to understand his tactics, but then I decided to leave the second game because there was no point in losing the full set and losing energy.

"So I focused on making a good start to the third set and thankfully I managed to do that. I played a good set and showed a lot more consistency. I did not allow him to come so much to the net."

Bagus, who splits his time between coaching in Spain and playing as a professional, was lost for reasons for the turnaround in the third set, where he made a number of errors.

"I am disappointed because I played really bad in the third set," he said. "I made a lot of mistakes and lost concentration. But otherwise, he played really well.

Bagus, however, insists the fans, who kept cheering for Praneeth, were not responsible for his meltdown in the decider.

"When I make a lot of mistakes, I start to lose focus," said the 23 year old. "It is difficult for me to come back.

"I felt more confident in the second set than the first, but after changing court [for the third set], I felt surprised. I was like, 'wow, what's happened to me'. So I lose concentration. I make a lot of mistakes and it is really difficult to recover because he is also playing well."

Bagus, however, had a bit of consolation later on, when he teamed up with Heri Setiawan to defeat Praneeth and K Nandgopal 21-14, 21-17 in the men's doubles final.