Kuala Lumpur: Saina Nehwal’s impressive run at the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament came to an end here Saturday following her straight-game loss to reigning Olympic and World champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the women’s singles semifinals.
The 28-year-old Indian 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 won 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 an 11-6 advantage. She maintained the advantage till the very end to win the game and match easily.
PTI