Priyanshu Rajawat at 21 years and 11 months old, is just six months younger than Lakshya Sen. They are teammates, good friends and often roommates on tour... yet in badminton terms, Lakshya is more seasoned. Priyanshu is still regarded as an up-and-coming player. After all, his biggest title is the Orleans Masters Super 300 he won last April while Lakshya is a former India Open champion, apart from a World Championship silver medallist with several big wins in the bag.
So, Priyanshu coming from a game down to beat Lakshya in the first round would qualify as an upset on paper. More so in the way he won: holding his nerve, quickly learning from his errors in the match itself and all this without a coach in his corner to guide him as is the norm in all-India clashes.
The 16-21, 21-16, 21-13 win also help set up another exciting all-India clash with HS Prannoy in the second round.
For Priyanshu though, this was not an upset, rather the culmination of his determination and preparation. "It was important for me to win this match. Lakshya is like my brother, [but] I played against him in Japan [Japan Open Super 750 in July] and lost a very close third game 24-22 so I really wanted to win this one," he said at the post-match press conference. "I was very sad the last time I lost... After losing the first game, I told myself that I can't lose the next two."
And he didn't. He quickly regrouped after a couple of nervy errors at the end cost him the first game and showed remarkable confidence in the second to force a decider. Which he then proceeded to race away with initially before holding his nerve as Lakshya mounted a mini comeback.
That final phase of the match was more about controlling nerves but even as Priyanshu made a couple of errors, the pressure got to Lakshya.
Lakshya was all praise for how Priyanshu played the final game. "He was a more confident player in the approach towards the end of the match on court. He was playing some brilliant half smashes, drop to finish the rallies. I was checking my shots a bit, not playing sharp enough shots on my attack to get a winner or an opening," he said.
Not having a coach in his corner did affect him, Priyanshu conceded, but the way he managed to turn around the game was more proof of the promise he has shown from his junior days. Most memorably, he had been part of India's Thomas Cup winning side in 2022, the youngest member of that history-making squad.
A swift and attack-minded player with a wonderful touch, he showed his full range on Tuesday with a slew of lively points in the match. National Coach P Gopichand, who mentored him from a young age as he moved from Madhya Pradesh to his academy in Hyderabad, spoke about his stroke play as his big weapon.
"He has the speed, you might have seen him also have the quality of strokes which are impressive," he said. "He's had some good wins; he needs to be consistent but with a game like that it is not very easy. If he gets it, he could be there for a long."
Consistency is what has been lacking in his game after a breakthrough when he won that Super 300 last April - then India's first BWF title of the year. Before that, he had to often play qualifiers to get into the main draws of Super 500 but a rise in ranking saw him get direct entries in the bigger tournaments. He is currently ranked 30 in the world.
However, with that came a series of first or second round exits as he adjusted to the new, uber competitive level of men's singles on the BWF World Tour. He also struggled with a few niggles and a later a swelling in the back that stopped him from building on his gains. "After Orleans, I had a lot more confidence but then I had a back injury because of which I had to miss tournaments. So now I am focussed on not getting injured and work on my body."
For this, he has been spending a lot of time in the gym and working with a nutritionist to get stronger and prevent injuries in the future.
He's also using meditation to be in better control of his emotions on court, especially when injuries hit. "Earlier I used to get angry often. But now these things are helping me even when I get injured."
Fitness and consistency are the two keywords that can fully transform Priyanshu's promise into big performances. Something his opponent in the next round can relate to. Prannoy, the current India No 1, has blossomed into his best only on the other side of 30 and does offer many tips to the younger players. But he might hold back this once.
"We play together a lot in the academy, and he is like a bigger brother, and he gives me a lot of tips during practise. I am sure it will be a good match and I am fully prepared because I play with him at the academy as well," Priyanshu said.
Prannoy has a 2-0 H2H lead and that's on the younger player's mind. It doesn't help that Prannoy's in splendid form: his first-round win against Chou Tien Chen was as routine as they come against such a tricky opponent (21-6, 21-19).
Come Wednesday, India Open is set for an inter-generational all-Indian clash between two players whose potential has been impacted by physical fitness. Whoever wins, it is certain to be an exciting match for the home crowd and will guarantee an Indian in the quarterfinals.