India’s HS Prannoy bowed out of the All England Championships on Tuesday, suffering a straight-game defeat to France’s Toma Junior Popov in the men’s singles opening round.

On a comeback trail, Prannoy, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships and Asian Games, fought for 53 minutes before going down 19-21, 16-21 to Popov, who is currently ranked 17th in the world.