Terrific Tai tames Saina in semis
20 Dec 2014 11:13 PM GMT
Indian ace Indian Saina Nehwal’s invincible run came to a shocking halt after Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying handed her a heart-breaking three-game loss in the semifinals of the BWF World Super Series Final badminton tournament here on Saturday.
After topping the group with three victories in as many matches, Saina’s dreams of reaching the finals came crashing down as she suffered a 21-11 13-21 9-21 loss to World No. 9 Tai in a 55-minute women’s singles match.
A 2011 finalist, Saina was on course for a final appearance when she walked away with the opening game but she crumbled under pressure in the second and third game to let the opportunity slip. In the opening game, Tai struggled with her length early on as a series of unforced errors allowed Saina to quickly surge to a 4-0 lead. The Indian looked very composed even as Tai struggled with the fast shuttle at the Hamdan Sports Complex.
After topping the group with three victories in as many matches, Saina’s dreams of reaching the finals came crashing down as she suffered a 21-11 13-21 9-21 loss to World No. 9 Tai in a 55-minute women’s singles match.
A 2011 finalist, Saina was on course for a final appearance when she walked away with the opening game but she crumbled under pressure in the second and third game to let the opportunity slip. In the opening game, Tai struggled with her length early on as a series of unforced errors allowed Saina to quickly surge to a 4-0 lead. The Indian looked very composed even as Tai struggled with the fast shuttle at the Hamdan Sports Complex.
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