Basel: After creating history by becoming the first men's singles player after Prakash Padukone in 1983 to win a World Championships medal, Sai Praneeth on Friday termed his straight games victory over world No. 4 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia as a "very big win".
"This is a very big win. The last time it was Prakash Padukone and since then no Indian men's player has won a medal at the World Championships. So yes, it is big and I am very happy," Praneeth, 27, said moments after he sunk to the floor as Cristie's shot went wide of the court.
"I need to prepare for the semifinal. We have a 3-2 head-to-head record. But that won't matter now. It will be who plays better on the day," said Praneeth, who is a lot fitter now than what he used to be.
Sai Praneeth said he would also like to work on his smashes going into the last-four clash.
"I missed a few smashes (today) and would like to work on that. Tomorrow's game would be different as the opponent is different," he said. IANS
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