Malaysia Masters | Saina Nehwal knocked out in semi-finals

Indian tennis ace, Saina Nehwal did put in a strong performance in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Masters as she beat Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara by a scoreline of  21-18 23-21 win in a 48-minute encounter at the Axiata Arena. However, the Olympic medalist bowed out of the competition with a semi-final loss to Spanish opponent Carolina Marin.

Nehwal got off to a bright start in the first game as she raced to a 4-1 lead against Marin in the semis. However, Marin found her groove in the next few minutes as she fought back to a 9-5 lead. The Indian athlete caused a few unforced errors which did not work to her advantage but ultimately levelled the scores at 14-14. But Marin was determined to outplay her Indian opponent as she raced away to a 21-16 win against Nehwal in the opening game.

Nehwal, who won the bronze medal at last year’s Asian Games in Jakarta, got off to a rather torrid start in the second game which helped Marin ease her way to a 4-1 lead in the second game. The pressure seemed to get to Saina as Marin continued to dominate in the early stages of the second game as she led by 14-7 at the mid-way stage of the game. 28-year old Nehwal suffered a disappointing defeat in the semis as Marin won the second game by a margin of 21-13.