Saina loses in semi-finals of India Open

Defending champion Saina Nehwal’s title defence lay in tatters after she suffered a narrow loss to Olympic Champion Li Xuerui in the semifinals of the India Open Super Series badminton tournament here on Saturday.

The 26-year-old Indian lost 20-22 21-17 19-21 to Li in an edge-of-the-seat thriller in the women’s singles competition, to draw curtains on Indian challenge at the Siri Fort Complex here.

In a nail-biting contest, Saina matched up to Li in the fast-paced rallies but she was not consistent in 

finishing the rallies. Li, on the other hand, blew hot and cold as some of her cross court half smashes caught Saina off-guard.