Saina Nehwal withdraws from the Singapore Open
©Saina Nehwal Facebook
After a string of semifinal exits, Saina Nehwal has decided to give the Singapore Open a pass in a bid to allocate more time for her to practice. Saina's father Harvir Singh, however, trashed concerns about her fitness and said that she will next play in the Badminton Asia Championship on April 26.
"She wanted to take rest after the four tournaments. After the semi-final she decided to skip Singapore as she needs more practice,” Harvir was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
He has also dismissed concerns about her fitness, saying, "She is perfectly alright. In fact, she is playing well now”.
Saina crashed out in the semi-final of the Malaysia Open on Saturday after suffering a 19-21, 13-21 loss to Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying. It was her third consecutive semi-final exit in a row, after confronting the same result at the Swiss Open and the India Open as well.
Saina, who won the Singapore Open back in 2010, withdrew from this event last year as well citing her need to rest. With her absence this year, India's hope will rest on PV Sindhu, who is unseeded in the tournament.
