Saina, Srikanth sink in World Super Series Finals semis DUBAI, Dec 20: The dream run of top shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth came to an end after they suffered contrasting defeats in the semifinals to bring the curtains down on Indias campaign at the BWF World Super Series Finals badminton tournament here today. While Indian ace Sainas invincible run was cut short by Chinese Taipeis Tai Tzu Ying, who handed her a heart-breaking 11-21 21-13 21-9 loss in womens singles, young Srikanth blew away a healthy lead in the first game to go down 18-21 9-21 against World Champion Chen Long of China in the mens singles. It was 24-year-old Saina, who started the semifinal proceedings and the 2011 finalist was on course for another 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 go 4-0 up. The Indian looked very composed and egged on by a vociferous crowd, she grabbed a comfortable 11-5 lead at the break when Tai faltered with her cross court dribble. The Taiwan girl didnt have any answer to Sainas angled strokes and immaculate netplay as the Indian cantered to a 17-7 lead. Tai collected a few points with her fast slices and returns but she never looked to threaten the Indian. Saina closed the first game eventually when Tai found the net. The second game also started on a similar note as Saina opened up a 4-0 lead again. Playing with the drift now on the other side of the court, Saina faced problems with the length, which allowed Tai to claw back at 4-4. Tai showed great anticipation at the nets thereafter to lead 5-4 for the first time in the match. The Taiwan girl slowly gained in confidence and put pressure on Saina, who all of a sudden seemed clueless. Tai came up with improved strokes and good movement on the court to move into the...
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 05:28:49 +0000
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