World No.1 and defending champion Saina Nehwal crashed out of the $750,000 Australian Open Superseries after losing her quarterfinal clash to Chinese Shixian Wang.

Sydney: India's campaign in the $750,000 Australian Open Superseries ended as World No.1 women's singles shuttler Saina Nehwal was outplayed 15-21, 13-21 by China's Shixian Wang in the quarter-finals here on Friday.

Defending champion Saina failed to produce her best game at the Sydney Olympic Park and was outplayed in 42 minutes by former world No.1 Shixian, who also equalled her head-to-head record against the 25-year-old Hyderabadi at 6-all.

The first game was a neck-to-neck affair till the five-point mark before Shixian started to show that she is the better shuttler on the day. Shixian's good show was matched by Saina up to some extent but the Chinese was better on the attack and got ahead before the Indian got into groove and equalised at 14-14.

But Shixian's flawless game not only pressurised Saina but also gave her six straight points that gave her a 21-15 win in the first game.

At the start of the second game too, 2010 Asian Games champion Shixian continued her dominance and held a 6-3 lead before Saina equalised at 8-all. London Olympic bronze medallist Saina managed to hold a one point lead at 10-9 before Shixian was able to break away by taking five points on the trot.

Shixian, bronze medallist in the 2010 World Championships, raced away to invincible 18-11 lead as the 25-year-old Chinese collected four consecutive points against Saina, who made a lot of judgement errors.

After Saina bagged two straight points, a ruthless Shixian shut the door on Saina's title defence by killing off the game with three straight points to win the game 21-13.

In the semi-final on Saturday, world No.6 Shixian will face world No.12 South Korean Bae Yeon Ju, who overcame Canadian Michell Li with a 21-8, 17-21, 21-10 victory.

Saina Nehwal beat China's Sun Yu 21-19, 19-21, 21-14 to emerge as the lone Indian at the Australian Open in Sydney.

Sydney: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal notched up a hard-fought three-game win over China's Sun Yu to emerge as the lone Indian survivor in Australian Open Super Series badminton tournament in Sydney on Thursday. 

World No. 1 Saina continued her rampaging run in world badminton and staved off a challenge from Sun, ranked 9th, 21-19 19-21 21-14 in a match that lasted an hour and 18 minutes in the women's singles competition to advance to the quarterfinal.

The Olympic bronze medallist will next take on two-time All England champion Shixian Wang, against whom Saina has a close 6-5 record in 11 meetings.

However, it was curtains for World No. 4 Kidambi Srikanth and 2010 Commonwealth Games champion pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa.

Fourth seed Srikanth squandered a first-game advantage to go down fighting to China's Tian Houwei 21-18 17-21 13-21 in men's singles, Jwala and Ashwini lost to fourth seeded Indonesian pair of Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii 14-21 10-21 in a women's doubles match.

Saina, who had beaten Sun thrice in the last four meetings, came out with a well-thought strategy as she broke off at 5-5 and entered the interval with a 11-6 lead. Sun played better after the interval to slowly narrow the gap before clawing back at 18-18, but a determined Saina zoomed ahead to pocket the opening game.

The Indian could have wrapped up the match in the second game itself as she had a huge six-point lead at 13-7 but Sun almost snatched the lead away after levelling the score at 13-13.

An alert Saina held her nerves and moved to 18-15 but she could not stop a fighting Sun, who roared back into the contest with a three-point burst from 18-19 behind. In the decider, Saina didn't allow Sun to threaten her in anyway as she led from the start and at one stage was comfortably placed at 12-4.

Though the Chinese tried to erase the deficit, Saina made sure there was no more hiccups and eventually sealed the issue in her favour.

World no. 4 Kidambi Srikanth went down to unseeded Tian Houwei of China in the second round of the Australian Open Superseries

World no. 4 Kidambi Srikanth bowed out of the USD 750,000 Australian Open Superseries after losing his second round match to unseeded Chinese Tian Houwei. The Indian shuttler lost 21-18, 17-21, 13-21.

On Wednesday, Srikanth pipped Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in a thrilling decider. After losing the first game, Srikanth recovered to beat Vittinghus 14-21 21-8 22-20 in a match lasting 53 minutes.

Meanwhile, India's women's doubles pair, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were also ousted as they lost in straight games to Indonesians Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii at the Sydney Olympic Park.

The fourth seeds beat Jwala and Ashwini 21-14, 21-10 in 32 minutes in the women's doubles second round to proceed to the quarter-finals.

Saina Nehwal Advances to Australian Open Superseries Second Round World No.1 Saina Nehwal defeated 67th-ranked Cheah Lyddia Yi Yu of Malaysia 21-12, 21-10

Sydney: Leading Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth won their first round matches in contrasting style at the Star Australian Open Superseries here on Wednesday.

While World No.1 Saina comfortably beat 67th-ranked Cheah Lyddia Yi Yu of Malaysia, World No.4 Srikanth pipped Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in a thrilling decider.

The women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, too, made a winning start at the USD 750,000 event.

Among the Indians who made a first round exit were P V Sindhu, Parupalli Kashyap and R M V Gurusaidutt, who took a game off World No.1 Chen Long.

Defending champion Saina, playing her opener late in the day, breezed past Cheah 21-12 21-10 to enter the last 16 of the competition. The second seed next plays Sun Yu of China.

World No.14 Sindhu, however, suffered a 21-18 15-21 23-25 loss against eighth seed Wang Yihan.

Srikanth was the lone winner in the men's singles, recovering to beat Vittinghus 14-21 21-8 22-20 in a match lasting 53 minutes. He plays China's Tian Houwei tomorrow.

His compatriot Kashyap went down against sixth seed Wang Zhengming in a marathon match, losing 26-24 18-21 20-22.

Gurusaidutt raised eyebrows by taking the first game from Long before the Chinese fought back to complete a 15-21 21-9 21-17 victory.

In the women's doubles, Jwala and Ashwini dispatched the Dutch pairing of Samantha Barning and Iris Tabeling 21-13 21-13.

Earlier, Ashwini lost in the mixed doubles alongside Pranav Jerry Chopra.

Australian Open Superseries: Kidambi Srikanth Advances, Parupalli Kashyap, PV Sindhu Exit

Sydney: Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth and the pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa made a winning start to their campaigns at the $750,000 Australian Open Superseries by entering the second rounds of their respective categories here on Wednesday.

However, P.V. Sindhu and Parupalli Kashyap were not so lucky as they lost their openers in enthralling battles against their Chinese opponents.

Men's singles fourth seed Srikanth was surprised by Hans-Kristian Vittinghus when the Dane took the first game 21-14. However, the Guntur-born lad came back strongly to crush his opponent in the second game and win it 21-8.

World No.4 Srikanth could not carry the momentum into the third game and was being led from the start. In no time, world No.14 Vittinghus had four matchpoints at 20-16. But somehow the Indian youngster made a remarkable comeback to not just save all the matchpoints but also earn two more points to bag the game 22-20 and win the match in 53 minutes.

With the win, Srikanth levelled his head-to-head to 1-all and will next take on Chinese World No.10 Tian Houwei, who has won the only match between the two in Malaysia earlier in February.

Women's doubles combine of Jwala and Ashwini also made a winning start as they had a relatively easy, 29-minute victory over Dutch combine of Samantha Barning and Iris Tabeling. The Commonwealth Games champions won 21-13, 21-13 but face a tough task ahead as they will take on Indonesian fourth seeds Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii on Thursday.

Meanwhile, reigning Commonwealth Games men's singles champion Kashyap had to bite the dust as he lost a marathon battle, that lasted an hour and 21 minutes, to sixth seed Zhengming Wang. The Chinese won 24-26, 21-18, 22-20 to take a 5-1 lead in career meetings over the Hyderabadi.

Sindhu also lost a tough fight in a one-hour 12-minute women's singles battle against nemesis and former World Champion Yihan Wang. The Chinese eighth seed lost the first game 18-21, but came out stronger to win the next two 21-15 and 25-23 to take a 4-1 lead in career meetings over the World No.12.

South Korean mixed doubles pair of Choi Solgyu and Eom Hye Won also put to rest the challenge of qualifiers Pranaav Chopra and Ashwini, who lost 19-21, 14-21 in 35 minutes.

Badminton: Gurusaidutt Qualifies for Australian Open

Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Gurusaidutt first beat Malaysian Ai Wei Jian 21-13, 21-9 in 29 minutes before downing Japan's Kazumasa Sakai 21-15, 21-8 in 32 minutes.

Sydney: Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt and mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Ashwini Ponnappa reached the main draw of the USD 750,000 Australian Open badminton tournament here on Tuesday.

Guru, who had to endure a series of serious injuries of late, started his campaign with a bang as he brushed aside Malaysia's Ai Wei Jian 21-13, 21-9 in the opening match, before prevailing over Japan's Kazumasa Sakai 21-15, 21-8 in the second clash of the qualifiers.

Pranaav and Ashwini, too, made a positive start to their campaign in mixed doubles as they beat German combo of Mark Lamsfuss and Isabel Herttrich 21-19, 21-17 in the first round. The Indian pair then defeated local shuttlers Cham Chen and Susan Wang 21-14 21-6 to make it to the main draw.

Other Indians, including Olympic bronze medallist and defending champion Saina Nehwal, World no. 4 K Srikanth and Commonwealth Games champion P Kashyap, will start their campaign tomorrow.

Two-time World Championship bronze medallist, PV Sindhu and Commonwealth Games silver medallist duo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, will also be seen in action on Wednesday.

Saina Nehwal-PV Sindhu Clash Likely at Indonesia Open

Saina, who has won here in 2009, 2010 and 2012, first takes on Thai Nichaon Jindapon against whom the Indian has won all three meetings yet. World No.12 Sindhu faces Hsu Ya Ching of Chinese Taipei. If both the Hyderabadi girls win, it means a clash of the two Indian badminton queens at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Jakarta: World No.1 shuttler Saina Nehwal has been seeded second and faces a likely clash against compatriot P.V. Sindhu in only the second round of the women's singles at the $800,000 Indonesia Open Superseries Premier to be held here from June 2 to 7.

Saina, who has won here in 2009, 2010 and 2012, first takes on Thai Nichaon Jindapon against whom the Indian has won all three meetings yet. World No.12 Sindhu faces Hsu Ya Ching of Chinese Taipei. If both the Hyderabadi girls win, it means a clash of the two Indian badminton queens at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Saina won the only official match played against Sindhu, winning the final in straight games to lift the India Grand Prix Gold Trophy in January 2014

Reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China has been seeded first.

In men's singles, World No. 4 Kidambi Srikanth has been seeded No.4 and opens his campaign against Danish World No.14 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, who has a 1-0 advantage in career meetings of the Guntur-born.

Parupalli Kashyap is also in the same half of the draw and take on Thai Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in the opener.

Pranaav Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar and Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy are the two Indian pairs in men's doubles while two-time Commonwealth Games medallists Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will lead the Indian challenge in women's doubles.

There will be no Indian representation in mixed doubles.

Saina Nehwal Regains Top Spot in World Badminton Rankings Saina Nehwal , who secured the World No. 1 spot for the first time early in April, slipped from the coveted position subsequently

Hyderabad: Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal regained the number one spot in the latest BWF world rankings released on Thursday.

Saina, who secured the numero uno spot for the first time early last month, slipped from the coveted position subsequently.

The Olympic bronze medallist, however, climbed to the number one ranking once again ahead of the Australian Open, starting on May 26.

Defending champion in the Australian Open Super Series, Saina would be taking on a qualifier in her campaign opener.

Meanwhile, PV Sindhu lost a position to be on 12th place.

In men's singles, K Srikanth has retained his fourth place. Even P Kashyap and HS Parnnoy also maintained their 13th and 15th positions, respectively

Saina Nehwal Seeded No. 2 at Australian Open Super Series

File photo of Saina Nehwal in action.

© AFP

Sydney: Star Indian shuttler and defending champion Saina Nehwal has been seeded No. 2 in the women's singles event for the $750,000 Australian Open Super Series to be played here from May 26 to 31.

World No. 2 Saina had defeated Spaniard Carolina Marin -- who later won the World Championships -- to lift the trophy last year. This time she will open her campaign against a yet to be decided qualifier.

Meanwhile, World No. 11 P.V. Sindhu is unseeded and has a tough opening match in the face of former World Champion Yihan Wang of China.

In men's singles, World No. 4 Kidambi Srikanth has been seeded fourth and will start his campaign against Danish Hans-Kristian Vittinghus while compatriot H.S. Prannoy opens against China's Tian Houwei. Parupalli Kashyap has also been given a tough opener against Chinese sixth seed Wang Zhengming in the draw of 32.

In men's doubles, Pranaav Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar will take on Cai Yun and Kang Jun while Commonwealth Games champions Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will face Dutch pair Samantha Barning and Iris Tabeling in women's doubles.

There is no Indian representation in the mixed doubles event.

China Power Past Japan to Claim 10th Sudirman Cup The hosts met some challenges in the men's doubles match but controlled the tie throughout to achieve their sixth consecutive victory in this world mixed team badminton championship.

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China's Zhang Nan (R) and Fu Haifeng (L) celebrate after defeating Japan's Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa during their men's doubles final match of the 2015 Sudirman Cup

© AFP

China's strength and depth proved too much for Japan as the defending champions clinched their 10th Sudirman Cup title with a 3-0 win in the final on Sunday.

The hosts met some challenges in the men's doubles match but controlled the tie throughout to achieve their sixth consecutive victory in this world mixed team badminton championship.

When Lin Dan sealed the victory with a powerful smash, Chinese players hugged and applauded, arousing thunderous cheers from a packed arena at the Dongguan Sports Center here.

"The competition is fiercer than expected. I fought to the end and I did it, " said Lin Dan, the dual Olympic champion.

The Sudirman Cup, launched in 1989 as one of the most prestigious tournaments in badminton, witnessed China take first their trophy in 1995.

In the past 20 years, only South Korea had won once - in 2003.

On Sunday afternoon, Hiroyuki Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa, the world No.6 men's doubles pair, raised early hopes of an upset after fighting back to win the second set.

But the rest of the challenge failed to measure up as China's leading duo Zhang Nan/Fu Haifeng nailed it 21-17, 20-22, 21-17.

In all the five disciplines, men's doubles is a relatively a weak spot for China.

"It's a tough battle. This point is usually the most difficult but we hang on and won it. It's a big boost for us," said Fu Haifeng, who won the 2012 Olympic gold with partner Cai Yun.

Cina's Zhang Nan said he felt honoured to be selected to play for two disciplines for his country.

"My physical condition is good. The first victory is able to make me more relaxed and confident to play the fifth game if necessary," said Zhang Nan.

Li Xuerui, the women's singles champion in the 2012 London Olympics, used 42 minutes to beat Akane Yamaguchi 23-21, 21-14 in the women's singles match and put China 2-0 ahead.

"The first set is very close. In the second, when I played in my rhythm she began to make mistakes," said the World No.1 Li.

Then it was Lin Dan's turn. "Super Dan" proved too strong for 25th-ranked Takuma Ueda, winning 21-15, 21-13 in the men's singles contest to seal the title for China.

The final results:

China bt Japan 3-0

Men's doubles:

Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan bt Hiroyuki Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa 21-17, 20-22, 21-17.

Women's singles:

Li Xuerui bt Akane Yamaguchi 23-21, 21-14.

Men's singles:

Lin Dan bt Takuma Ueda 21-15, 21-13.

Sudirman Cup Badminton: Saina Nehwal Only Bright Spot as India's Campaign Ends

World No. 2 Saina Nehwal produced a determined performance to edge out former world no. 5 Bae Yeon Ju 22-20, 17-21, 21-13 in the women's singles but no other Indian could outwit the Koreans as their campaign ended on a disappointing note.

Dongguan: Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal was the only bright spot in what turned out to be a dismal day for the Indian badminton team as it crashed out of the prestigious Sudirman Cup after a 4-1 loss to three-time champions Korea in a Group 1D tie, here today.

World No. 2 Saina produced a determined performance to edge out former world no. 5 Bae Yeon Ju 22-20, 17-21, 21-13 in the women's singles but no other Indian could outwit the Koreans as their campaign ended on a disappointing note.

India were pegged back 0-1 after men's doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar went down 10-21, 19-21 to world no. 8 combination of Kim Gi Jung and Kim Sa Rang.

The 25-year-old Saina then brought India back in the contest but once Parupalli Kashyap's gritty fight against world no. 5 Son Wan Ho ended with a 21-13, 14-21, 13-21 loss, the writing was on the wall for India.

2011 World Championship bronze medallist combo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa then conjured up hopes of a win before going down fighting 21-18, 12-21, 12-21 to Chang Ye Na and Jung Kyung Eun.

India's mixed doubles pair of Manu Attri and Sikki Reddy N then lost 12-21, 20-22 to Kim Ha Na and Ko Sung Hyun in the final match to end the agony for India.

India had suffered a 2-3 loss against Malaysia in their opening tie of Group 1D on Monday.

In women's singles, Korea fielded Ju Bae ahead of world no. 7 Sung Ji Hyun against Saina probably because of her better record against the Indian and the ploy seemed to be working initially.

Ju troubled Saina initially to enter the break with a 11-9 advantage. The Indian, however, kept breathing down her neck and eventually pocketed the game from 18-20 down with four straight points.

In the second game, Saina managed a slender 11-10 lead at the interval but Ju Bae started dominating the rallies and after a intense battle, the Korean broke off at 14-14 to roar back into contest with a six-point burst.

Saina was at her aggressive best in the decider as she dished out a game which Ju Bae could not negotiate. In a jiffy, the Indian marched ahead and sealed the match comfortably to bring India on an even-knell.

Chief national coach Pullela Gopichand then handed Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap the responsibility of taming Son, whom he had beaten in straight games at the Singapore Open last month.

Kashyap led 4-1 initially but Son twice grabbed the lead at 8-6 and 12-10. The Indian, however, fought back to clinch the opening game to conjured up hopes of a win.

But Son edged ahead in the second game at 10-7 and even though Kashyap had clawed back with three points, the Korean marched ahead in giant steps to bounce back.

In the decider, Kashyap failed to curb his errors as he lost quite a few points hitting wide and long, and also rushed into a few shots to see Son holding 11-8 advantage and then zoomed ahead to a 17-12 lead.

Eventually, a miscued shot from Kashyap took Son to a 20-13 lead before the Korean sealed the match with a powerful smash to make it 2-1 in favour of his team.

Up next, Jwala and Ashwini produced a gritty performance and engaged in a fierce battle with Chang and Jung to move neck and neck for most part of the first game.

While Jwala troubled with her sharp-angled returns, Ashwini dished out some superb smashes from back of the court to eventually wrest the first game.

However, Chung and Jung changed their tactics in the second game and started dominating the rallies to lead 11-6. The Koreans continued their domination after the interval and moved to game point when Jwala hit the net.

The Indians saved two game points before Ashwini's return found the net and the Korean pair bounced back into contest.

In the decider, Chung and Jung surged ahead to 10-4, Although Jwala and Ashwini managed to narrow it down to 9-11 at the break, they lost steam after the interval as India lost the match.

In the inconsequential fifth match, Manu and Sikki showed fighting spirit in the second game but they lacked nerves in crucial moments to go down in straight games.

Sudirman Cup Badminton: India Face Korean Test

India, who reached the knockout stage of the biennial tournament in 2011 edition, lost 2-3 to Malaysia in their campaign opener yesterday and another loss will end their chances of making the quarterfinals.

Dongguan (China): The Indian badminton team, led by Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth, will face three-time champions Korea in a must-win clash of Group 1D in the prestigious Sudirman Cup on Wednesday.

India, who reached the knockout stage of the biennial tournament in 2011 edition,  lost 2-3 to Malaysia in their campaign opener on Monday and another loss will end their chances of making the quarterfinals.

It will be an uphill task for the Indian team as Korea are a formidable side with World No. 5 Wan Ho Son and World No. 7 Sung Ji Hyun likely to turn up for the men's and women's singles match respectively. 

If Srikanth and Saina can earn India wins in singles, it will come down to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver medallists Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa to do the unenviable task of taming the World No. 8 pair of Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan in the women's doubles.

Expecting a favourable result in men's doubles and mixed doubles will be too ambitious as Korea boasts of the World No. 1 Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong and World No. 8 combo of Ko Sung Hyun and Kim Ha Na.

The singles are likely to be mouth-watering clashes. Srikanth has beaten Wan twice but he has faced defeats in their last three meetings and the Indian will have to recover quickly from his loss against Lee Chong Wei yesterday.

In women's singles, Olympic bronze-medallist Saina has a 5-1 record against Hyun but it will not be a cakewalk for the Indian, who had to break a sweat against world number 56 Tee Jing Yi yesterday.

In women's doubles, 2011 World Championship bronze medallists, Jwala and Ashwini had lost to Lee and Shin in straight games during German Open in February this year.

Only two teams will qualify from each of the four pools in Group 1 of the knockout stage.

The Sudirman Cup features 35 teams divided into four groups. Of these, the top 12 ranked teams in Group 1 will vie for the trophy, while the other teams (Group 2, 3, 4) will fight for ranking spots.

Sudirman Cup: Saina Nehwal's Win in Vain as Malaysia Beat India 3-2 in Opening Tie

Saina Nehwal and women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won their respective matches but K Srikanth failed to breach the defence of Lee Chong Wei. The men's and mixed doubles pairs also bite the dust as India began their campaign on a losing note

The lack of quality doubles players came back to haunt Indian badminton team as they suffered a 2-3 loss to Malaysia in their opening tie of the prestigious Sudirman Cup on Monday.

Saina Nehwal and women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won their respective matches but K Srikanth failed to breach the defence of Lee Chong Wei. The men's and mixed doubles pairs also bite the dust as India began their campaign on a losing note in Malaysia.

India, who reached the knockout stage of the biennial tournament in 2011 edition, will next take on three-time champions Korea on Wednesday.

Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy B started the proceedings for India but their fight ended with a 15-21 16-21 loss to Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong as Malaysia drew first blood.

Olympic bronze medallist Saina then brought India back in the contest with a narrow 24-22 21-13 win over world number 56 Tee Jing Yi in a 44-minute women's singles match.

The men's singles contest between world number four Srikanth and two-time Olympic silver medallist Lee, who is playing his first tournament after serving a backdated eight month ban for doping, was expected to be a mouth-watering affair but it ended with the former world number one notching up a 21-16 21-15 win to hand over the lead to Malaysia once again.

Commonwealth Games silver medallists Jwala and Ashwini the took the court and the duo avenged their Glasgow final loss to Vivian Kah Mun Hoo and Woon Khe Wei with a hard-fought 21-18 19-21 21-15 win over the world number 11 pair.

However, in the decider, N Sikki Reddy and Arun Vishnu could not get it across the world number 70 pair of Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying and went down 14-21 18-21 in a 40-minute match as India went down 2-3 in the end.

In women's singles match, Saina seemed to take her own time to get into the groove as she led 12-9 at one stage. But Tee soon clawed her way back and managed to lead 16-15 after the Indian exhausted a video referral.

Tee then turned the tables to not only lead 19-17 but also moved into game point thrice at 20-19, 21-10 and 22-21. However, Saina saved the game point each time and with the help of a cross court dribble and a body smash moved to 23-22 before grabbing the game when Tee hit the net.

In the second game, Saina pulled up her socks as she looked sharper and it reflected on the scoreline as she led 11-5 at the break. Tee tried her best but she could not break the Indian, who wrapped up the match when Tee hit wide.

In the men's singles match, Srikanth showed good fighting spirit but he failed to deal with the drift in the court and made too many unforced errors to see the match slip out of his hands.

Lee, on the other hand, shunned all extravagance, did not make too many errors, and played within himself to tame the Indian.

Initially, Srikanth gave Lee a good fight as he retrieved everything thrown at him and also judged the shuttle well to move into a 8-7 lead.

Lee showed glimpses of his past self but despite making few errors, held the psychological edge at 11-10 going into the break. He maintained his dominance with a 16-11 lead but Srikanth narrowed it down to 13-16.

After some exceptional rallies by the players, Srikanth came as close as 16-17. The Indian tried a couple of body smashes but both went long as Lee clinched the opening game without much ado.

Lee's smooth movement helped him to play with ease as he defended well even as Srikanth in desperation kept hitting wide and long to allow the Malaysian lead 8-3 in the second game.

Srikanth did not give up and brought the lead down to 7-8. But, Lee once again distanced himself to lead 11-7 at the break.

At 10-13, Srikanth played a back hand flick from an awkward position to give some cheers to the Indian fans but a series of errors from him not only allowed Lee to take a 17-11 lead but also to grab the match point at 20-14.

The Indian saved one before hitting long once again as Lee handed Malaysia a 2-1 lead after the third match.

Jwala and Ashwini, who had lost to the same rivals during the finals of Glasgow Commonwealth Games, then took the court and straight away put pressure on the Malaysians, engaging in some fast rallies.

Jwala was good at the nets while Ashwini manned the back court well, troubling the opponents with her hard smashes as they combined well to lead 12-10 at one stage. Woon and Hoo kept breathing down their neck but eventually the Indian combo grabbed the first game when the Malaysians hit long.

The second game was yet another rollercoaster ride as Jwala and Ashwini led 11-10 at the break. However, after the interval, Woon and Hoo grabbed the lead at 15-13.

The Indian pair reeled off four straight points to make it 17-15 but they committed a few errors at this crucial juncture to see Woon and Hoo roar back into the match.

In the decider, Jwala and Ashwini fought back from 2-6 down to eke out a slender 11-10 lead at the interval. The Indian combo led 15-12 but Woon and Hoo drew level with three straight points.

At 18-15, Jwala won a point on serve and then produced two superb smashes to win the fourth match.

Saina Nehwal Calls for Government Schemes for Upcoming Talent

New Delhi: Thanking the government for lending a helping hand to the country's top sportspersons, India's champion shuttler Saina Nehwal hopes the establishment will now put its weight behind upcoming talents striving to make a mark globally.

Asked if the government can try helping those who are beginning to shine, apart from the elite athletes, the world number 2 shuttler Saina, who was on Friday given a cash award of 25 lakhs by the ministry, responded in positive.

"Players who are capable of doing well in any international events, their names should be in the government scheme. I must say the government is also giving a lot of support to sportspersons," Saina said when asked about the government's TOP (Target Olympic Podium) scheme.

The recent months had been very fruitful for Saina and the Hyderabad-based shuttler said she was looking forward to winning more titles.

"My job is to give my best and not think about rankings. Lots of surprises were in store for me this year, which I didn't expect," Saina said on the sidelines of the Times Of India Sports Award.

"The last one year was a special experience, scaling the world number one ranking, reaching the finals of All England Championships, winning the India Open and China Open. I just want to stay focussed. The performance has motivated me to do better.

"I am a very emotional person and staying at the top is not easy. I have more dreams that I want to achieve," said the player who was at the top of world ranking for two brief stints recently.

Talking about the Sudhirman Cup, starting on Sunday, Saina said India was determined to improve their record in the prestigious tournament.

"It's about the team. I hope to do well in the Sudhirman Cup. We hardly play team event."

As talks turned to next year's Rio Olympics, Saina said her main aim was to remain fit going into the quadrennial extravaganza.

"I will strive to maintain my fitness, that is the key. There are ups and downs and they are part of life. The challenge is how to keep myself injury-free, I will focus on training right now," Saina said.

Speaking about her partnership with the Bangalore-based coach Vimal Kumar, the 25-year-old shuttler said, "It has been good working with Vimal sir. I have won good titles after joining him. My movements on the court improved, we also focused on working on different strokes."

Compatriot P V Sindhu, coming back after an injury, said she was training for the upcoming tournaments.

"I have been practicing hard for coming tournaments, India is doing very well now a days. It's not easy to come back from injuries. On return I played in the Asian Championships and lost in the quarters. I am trying to get better, perform and win," the soft-spoken 19-year-old ace shuttler said.

Capable Players Should Get Government Scheme: Saina Nehwal

New Delhi: Thanking the government for lending a helping hand to the country's top sportspersons, India's champion shuttler Saina Nehwal hopes the establishment will now put its weight behind upcoming talents striving to make a mark globally.

Asked if the government can try helping those who are beginning to shine, apart form the elite athletes, the world number 2 shuttler Saina, who was on Friday given a cash award of 25 lakh by the ministry, responded in the positive.

"Players who are capable of doing well in any international events, there names should be in the government scheme. I must say the government is also giving a lot of support to sportspersons," Saina said when asked about the government's TOP (Target Olympic Podium) scheme.

The recent months had been very fruitful for Saina and the Hyderabad-based shuttler said she was looking forward to winning more titles.

"My job is to give my best and not think about rankings. Lots of surprises were in store for me this year, which I didn't expect," Saina said on the sidelines of the Times Of India Sports Award.

"The last one year was a special experience, scaling the world number one ranking, reaching the finals of All England Championships, winning the India Open and China Open. I just want to stay focussed. The performance has motivated me to do better.

"I am a very emotional person and staying at the top is not easy. I have more dreams that I want to achieve," said the player who was at the top of world ranking for two brief stints recently.

Talking about the Sudhirman Cup, starting on Sunday, Saina said India was determined to improve their record in the prestigious tournament.

"It's about the team. I hope to do well in the Sudhirman Cup. We hardly play team event."

As talks turned to next year's Rio Olympics, Saina said her main aim was to remain fit going into the quadrennial extravaganza.

"I will strive to maintain my fitness, that is the key. There are ups and downs and they are part of life. The challenge is how to keep myself injury-free, I will focus on training right now," Saina said.

Speaking about her partnership with the Bangalore-based coach Vimal Kumar, the 25-year-old shuttler said, "It has been good working with Vimal sir. I have won good titles after joining him. My movements on the court improved, we also focused on working on different strokes."

Compatriot PV Sindhu, coming back after an injury, said she was training for the upcoming tournaments.

"I have been practicing hard for coming tournaments, India is doing very well now a days. It's not easy to come back from injuries. On return I played in the Asian Championships and lost in the quarters. I am trying to get better, perform and win," the soft-spoken 19-year-old ace shuttler said.

Saina Nehwal Awarded Rs.25 Lakh by Sports Ministry Saina Nehwal became the third Indian and first woman from the country to reach the final of the prestigious tournament where she lost to reigning World Champion Carolina Marin at Birmingham.

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal received a cash award of Rs.25 lakh from the sports ministry for reaching the women's singles final of the All England Open Badminton Championships in March.

Saina became the third Indian and first woman from the country to reach the final of the prestigious tournament where she lost to reigning World Champion Carolina Marin at Birmingham. 

"The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has given a cash award of Rs.25 lakh to Ms. Saina Nehwal, badminton player, for her runner-up position in All England Open Badminton Championship 2015 held in Birmingham (United Kingdom) from 8-13 March 2015," said a government release.

"Cash Award has been given to Ms. Nehwal from the ministry's scheme of special awards to medal winners in international sports events and their coaches."

Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand had won the men's singles title of the tournament in 1980 and 2001, respectively. 

Indian Shuttlers Lose in New Zealand Open

Mumbai's Pawar, seeded 11th, lost 14-21, 7-21 to South Korean third seed Lee Hyun Il in 34 minutes in the third round of men's singles. With the win, Lee extended his lead to 2-0

Auckland: The Indian campaign at the $120,000 New Zealand Open Grand Prix Gold came to an end as shuttlers Anand Pawar and Rachita Sahdev lost their respective matches at the North Shore Events Centre here on Thursday.

Mumbai's Pawar, seeded 11th, lost 14-21, 7-21 to South Korean third seed Lee Hyun Il in 34 minutes in the third round of men's singles. With the win, Lee extended his lead to 2-0.

Later, Chinese mixed doubles fifth seeds Zheng Si Wei and Chen Qingchen defeated New Zealand-India combine of Abhinav Manota and Rachita Sahdev 21-7, 21-10 in 19 minutes in the second round.