Malaysia Masters | Saina Nehwal cruises into the final
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Top seed Saina Nehwal has entered the final of the Malaysia Masters by defeating Hong Kong shuttler Yip Pui Yin 21-13, 21-10 in the semi-final today. Although Yin played some good badminton throughout the match, the Indian proved her superiority by winning the game fairly easily in the end.
Going to the semi-final, Nehwal had a 6-2 head-to-head record against 5th seeded Yin, having won the last five meetings in a row. After struggling with injury for most parts of the season post the Rio Olympics, Nehwal wanted to make the opportunity count and win her first Grand Prix since 2015.
Ā In the first game, Nehwal started brilliantly and quickly raced away to a 4-0 lead, but Yin did well to stage a comeback by leveling the score with some excellent shot selection. The Hong Kong player even went on to take the lead as the scoreboard ticked to 8-5 in Yinās
The interval gave Nehwal some time to regroup and she took the lead soon after the restart breaking past Yinās defense easily. Having gone 13-12 up, Nehwal piled on the pressure as Yin failed to generate any sort of momentum. The Hong Kong player was finally put out of her misery as Nehwal took the first game by a score of 21-13.
The second game proved to be a less competitive affair as Nehwal raced to a 6-0 lead in no time. Yin brought the game back to 8-5 but the Indian won the next six points compared to Yinās three to take a 14-8 lead in the second game. Nehwal, finally, closed out the match by winning the second game by a margin of 21-10.
Nehwal will face Thai player Pornpawee Chochuwong in the final of the competition tomorrow.
