The Hindu : Sport / Badminton : Saina Nehwal fumbles

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Saina Nehwal fumbles

Johor Bahru (Malaysia): The Indian campaign in the World Super Series Masters finals got off to a disappointing start with ace shuttler Saina Nehwal and the mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V. Diju biting the dust in their first outing here on Wednesday.

World No. 8 Saina went down 21-13, 13-21, 21-14 to Malaysian Wong Mew Choo in a Group A match.

Saina will now have to win her next two matches against Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand and Canadian Charmaine Reid to keep her semifinal hopes alive.

Jwala and Diju lost 21-15, 21-16 to the English pair of Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg.

Easy for Gade

Peter Gade cleared the first hurdle in the men’s singles with a 21-12, 21-15 win over compatriot Jan Jorgensen.

Gade, the Dane who was runner-up here last year, scored his second win over Jorgensen within a month in the Group B encounter, having beaten him in the recent Hong Kong Open.

In a Group A match, China’s lone representative, Bao Chunlai, also got off to a winning start with a 21-18, 26-24 win over Indonesian ace Taufik Hidayat.

It was an all-Malaysian battle in the men’s doubles Group A match, with Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Mohd. Fairuzizuan Mohd. Tazari pulling off an upset straight sets 21-15, 21-17 win over defending champions and top seeds Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong.

China’s and Indonesia’s top shuttlers skipped the $500,000 season-ending Badminton World Federation tournament, citing other commitments.

Other results:

Men: Singles: Bao Chunlai (Chn) bt Taufik Hidayat (Ina) 21-18, 26-24; Peter Gade (Den) bt Jan Jorgensen (Den) 21-12, 21-15.

Women: Singles Juliane Schenk (Ger) bt Nicole Grether (Ger) 21-17, 21-14; Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Tha) bt Charmaine Reid (Can) 21-13, 21-12.— PTI

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