Malaysia Masters | Saina Nehwal beats Pornpawee Chochuwong to win her first Grand Prix since 2015
Saina Nehwal has won the Malaysia Masters by defeating Thailand shuttler Pornpawee Chochuwong in a thrilling final by a score of 22-20, 22-20. The game went down the wire and in the end, it was the Hyderabad lass who prevailed to win her first Grand Prix title since 2015.
Chochuwong made a great start to the match, winning the first four points in a row thanks to some excellent deceptive play. Nehwal tried to make a quick comeback taking a couple points but surprisingly was struggling to pick up the Thai player's drop-shots and found herself trailing 8-3 after the opening exchanges. Things looked bleak going into the break with the Thai star leading 11-5.Â
After the short break, Nehwal found her rhythm and took eight of the next 11 points to bring the score to 14-13 in Chochuwong's
The second game had a similar feel to it as the Thai star was quick out of the blocks taking a 3-0 lead early in the game. Nehwal, however, did not let Chochuwong build up steam and quickly brought the game level at 3-3. Nehwal was playing with the confidence that she had a few years back and with a
Chochuwong picked up the pace after the short interval winning three points in a row to level the game up at 11-points-a piece. But the errors that cost her the first game crept back into her shots as she found herself trailing the Indian 17-14. Over the next five points, Nehwal won three to Chochuwong's two to earn herself four championship points. However, the Thai player clawed her way back into the game winning the next four in a row to level the game at 20-20. Nehwal, however, was not to be denied as she won the second game by a score of 22-20 to lift her first Grand Prix title since 2015.