'Took a break for 165 min..': Water leak disrupts HS Prannoy's Malaysia Open game for over two hours

HS Prannoy (Pic: AFP)

The 2025 Malaysia Open clash between ace India shuttler HS Prannoy and Canada's Brian Yang witnessed an unprecedented delay as the Round of 32 Men's Singles match was halted for over two hours due to water leaking from the roof at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.

On the opening day of this year's first major badminton event, the sporting community was left stunned as water began to fall from the roof.

Prannoy and Yang were playing on Court 3 when water splashes made the playing area hazardous, preventing play from continuing.

Both players were visibly frustrated by the situation and voiced their displeasure to the match referee, who ultimately decided to suspend the match.

Prannoy, in particular, was seen gesturing animatedly to the official, highlighting that the court had become unsafe. At the time of the suspension, Prannoy was leading the match, having won the first set 21-12 and holding a 6-3 lead in the second.

The match was paused for more than two hours before the players returned to resume play. However, only five minutes of action were possible before the roof began leaking again. The match was then postponed and will now be completed on Wednesday (January 8), with Prannoy currently leading the second set 11-9.

The stoppage due to rain in an indoor sport like badminton is an unprecedented occurrence. This situation has raised significant questions regarding the organisers' management, as one of the year's most prominent events was interrupted due to infrastructure issues at the venue.

Organisers later resorted to using towels and mops to dry the court, which had suffered considerable damage from the water leakage.

For context, the Malaysia Open is a Super 1000 event, the highest level in the race to qualify for the World Tour Finals.