KAULA LUMPUR: Saina Nehwal’s impressive run at the Malaysia Masters came to an end following her straight-game loss to reigning Olympic and world champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the women’s singles semifinals, here Saturday.
The 28-year-old Indian, who had won the title in 2017 and was a runners-up in the 2011 edition, went down 16-21 13-21 to fourth seed Marin in a 40-minute match to bring an end to India’s campaign at the first World Tour Super 500 tournament of the season.
Tied 5-5 ahead of the clash, Saina had made a good start to the match leading 5-2 at the start but an aggressive Marin reeled off seven straight points to turn the tables before grabbing a 11-9 lead at the break.
The Spaniard extended it to 13-9 before Saina clawed back at 14-14. However, Marin produced a determined effort to reach the game points after gathering six points on the trot.
She easily sealed the first game in 20 minutes with a measured return at the Indian’s fore court.
In the second game, Marin was more dominant as she surged to a 6-1 lead early on and kept her stranglehold at the interval with a 11-6 advantage.
Saina tried to make a comeback but Marin was always a step ahead. The Spaniard slowly created a huge gap which the Indian failed to bridge.
Marin eventually grabbed eight match points with a cross court smash. Saina saved one with a deep corner smash which Marin failed to connect but the left-handed shuttler produced a straight return next to seal the issue in her favour. (AGENCIES)
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SPORTS-SQUASH-ASIAN JUNIOR
Indian girls finish third in
Asian Jr Squash
CHENNAI, Jan 19:
Indian girls went down to higher ranked Malaysia and finished third in the team event of the Asian Junior Squash Championship at Pattaya in Thailand on Saturday.
A SRFI release here, it was a stroll in the park for Malaysia which did not stretch much as it won both the matches in straight games for a 2-0 win in the semifinals and made it to the summit clash.
With the loss, India settled for the third place and a bronze medal.
The loss notwithstanding, India’s overall show, despite not being with the best team, was far better than the sixth place that finish in the last edition at Hong Kong two years ago.
I am happy with the performance. Three of the four girls in our squad are 16-years-old so they have a future”, National Coach Cyrus Poncha said.
”Of course two girls were unable to make it, so we look forward now to a good performance in the World junior championship in July this year, he added.
The boys team event semifinals would be held later in the day, where again India would play Malaysia.
Result:
Semi-final :
Girls :
Malaysia bt India 2-0 (Aifa Azman bt Sanya Vats 11-2, 11-6, 11-6; Chan Yiwen bt Yoshna Singh 11-6, 11-1, 11-6). (AGENCIES)
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