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Hylo Open 2026: Prannoy exits in first round after losing to Toma Popov

The Indian lost 21-23, 16-21 to the third-seeded Frenchman in Saarbrücken.

By , Sports writer

· 2 min read

Prannoy H. S.
Prannoy H. S. (file photo) Photo: Nardisoero / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

H. S. Prannoy bowed out of the Hylo Open 2026 Super 500 after a first-round defeat to Toma Popov. Kiran George advanced to an all-Indian Round of 16 clash against Lakshya Sen.

Key takeaways

  • Prannoy lost 21-23, 16-21 to Toma Popov in 47 minutes
  • Kiran George beat June Wei Cheam 21-18, 21-17 in 35 minutes
  • Kiran George will face Lakshya Sen in the Round of 16
  • Tharun Mannepalli and S. Sankar Muthusamy also exited
  • The Hylo Open is held at Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken, Germany

India’s H. S. Prannoy bowed out of the Hylo Open 2026 Super 500 tournament after losing to France’s Toma Popov in the first round in Saarbrücken, Germany, on Wednesday. Prannoy went down 21-23, 16-21 to the third-seeded Frenchman in a 47-minute Round of 32 match. Popov will face Belgium’s Julien Carraggi in the next round.

Kiran George advanced to the Round of 16 after beating Malaysia’s June Wei Cheam 21-18, 21-17 in 35 minutes. Kiran will take on compatriot Lakshya Sen in an all-Indian clash for a place in the quarterfinals. Lakshya had earlier rallied from a game down to beat Finland’s Joakim Oldorff in a match that lasted an hour.

India’s men’s singles challenge also suffered other setbacks, with more players exiting the tournament. Tharun Mannepalli was defeated 15-21, 19-21 by Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei in 41 minutes, while S. Sankar Muthusamy lost 11-21, 16-21 to Finland’s Kalle Koljonen in 37 minutes.

The Hylo Open, formerly known as the BMW Badminton Cup, BMW Open International, Bitburger Masters, Bitburger Open and SaarLorLux Open, is an international badminton tournament held at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken, Germany, since 1988. It was sponsored by the German automobile company BMW and German pilsner beer brewery Bitburger; since 2021, it is sponsored by Saarbrücken-based eye lubrication company Hylo.

Toma Junior Popov is a French badminton player. Partnered with his brother Christo Popov, he won the men’s doubles gold at the 2025 European Championships. He competed at the 2018 Mediterranean Games and claimed the men’s singles bronze medal. The Popov brothers also competed for France at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the men’s doubles event.

Indian men’s singles results at Hylo Open 2026

Player

Opponent

Score

Duration

H. S. Prannoy

Toma Popov

21-23, 16-21

47 minutes

Kiran George

June Wei Cheam

21-18, 21-17

35 minutes

Tharun Mannepalli

Chi Yu Jen

15-21, 19-21

41 minutes

S. Sankar Muthusamy

Kalle Koljonen

11-21, 16-21

37 minutes

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