Saina Nehwal knocked out of Hong Kong Open after 1st round defeat
Hong Kong Open Super 500: Saina Nehwal's poor run in the second half of the 2019 season continues as the Indian shuttler was ousted in the first round after a straight-game defeat to Chinese teenager Cai Yan Yan.
HIGHLIGHTS
Hong Kong Open Super 500: Saina Nehwal's poor run in the second half of the 2019 season continues as the Indian shuttler was ousted in the first round after a straight-game defeat to Chinese teenager Cai Yan Yan.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Saina Nehwal was beaten 13-21, 20-22 by Cai Yan Yan
- The Chinese teenager had beaten Saina in the 1st round of China Open last week
- Sameeer Verma also suffered a 1st-round exit at Hong Kong Open
Saina Nehwal suffered another early exit as she was knocked out in the 1st round of Hong Kong Open Super 500 on Wednesday.
World No. 9 Saina Nehwal lost the 1st-round match in just 30 minutes to Cai Yan Yan. The Chinese teenager clinched another straight-game win (21-13, 22-20) over her higher-ranked opponent.
Notably, Cai Yan Yan had knocked Saina Nehwal out of Fuzhou China Open last week after a 1st-round win over the Indian shuttler. Saina Nehwal was struggling to keep up to Cai's pace in the 1st game.
It looked all but over when the Chinese shuttler was leading 18-14 in the 2nd game but Saina fought back 5 straight points to take a lead. However, Saina failed to hold on to the lead and lost the match inside 2 games.
Saina Nehwal has been struggling in the 2nd half of the ongoing season. The early exit in Hong Kong on Wednesday was her 8th 1st-round defeat of the season.
The former World No. 1 will not be part of the BWF World Tour Finals for the 4th successive year as she is well below the qualification mark for the top 8 women's singles shuttlers this season.
Sameer Verma ousted in 1st round
Meanwhile, World No. 16 Sameer Verma crashed out of Hong Kong Open after a valiant battle against Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei. Sameer lost 11-21, 21-13, 21-8. This is also the Indian shuttler's 3rd straight 1st-round defeat of the ongoing season.
Later in the day, the likes of PV Sindhu, Parupalli Kashyap, HS Prannoy and Sai Praneeth will be in singles action at Hong Kong Open. Sourabh Verma, who earned a place in the main draw, will be up against Brice Leverdez of France.
