Thailand Open: Saina loses in Round 2, Srikanth out with injury

The Indian contingent faced a disappointing day in the tournament.

Indian shuttlers had a day to forget in the Yonex Thailand Open as former World No.1 Saina Nehwal crashed out of the tournament after Kidambi Srikanth gave his opponent a walkover due to injury.

Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan defeated Saina Nehwal 21-23, 21-14, 21-16 in the second round of Thailand Open. The match lasted more than one hour.

On the other hand, World No. 14 Kidambi Srikanth had to give his opponent a walkover after he suffered a muscle pull in his right calf. More information about his participation in the next tournament will be revealed post a thorough check of the extent of his injury.

In the women’s singles match, Saina Nehwal got tired as the match stretched and she was not able to keep up with the intensity of her opponent. Busanan was more agile across the court and dominated the latter stages of the match with her intricate netplay. She started the first game impressively, taking a lead of 4-0, but the Indian shuttler brought the game back to 4-4 in gritty fashion. 

The local star led the game at the break by 11-9. However, Nehwal came into the match strongly as she brought the scores level at 15-15 and then won the game 23-21, saving a game point in the process. The second started on even terms, but the fatigue started to affect the Indian star's game, leading to Busanan being ahead at the interval by 11-7. Keeping her lead intact, the Thai shuttler secured the game after some fantastic strokes.

The match was decided in the third game, where despite an even start, Busanan used her superior net game to lead at the break by 11-7 again. Nehwal could not find an answer and was not able to make a comeback due to a lack of fitness. She lost the match after conceding the decider to the World No. 12.

In Men’s Doubles, the Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also bowed out of the tournament after losing their second round game against Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. The pair crashed out in straight games with a score of 19-21, 17-21.

The match lasted merely 34 minutes. The first was started strongly by the Indian duo who secured a 4-0 lead. However, the experienced Indonesia pair crawled their way back into the match and led on the interval by 11-8 before clinching the game. 

The second game saw the Indonesian pair flex their muscles after they got off to a 3-0 start. At the interval, Indians trailed 8-11 and eventually lost the game and match, crashing out of the tournament in the process.