Saina Nehwal’s bid to kickstart 2019 on a high was brought to an end in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters with defeat to Carolina Marin on Saturday, 19 January.
The Indian shuttler had produced a magnificent display to oust second seed and former world number one Nozomi Okuhara in the quarters, but was unable to repeat the heroics against the reigning world and Olympic champion.
Marin, the fourth seed, recovered from a slightly slow start that had allowed Nehwal to take a 5-2 lead in the opening game, and never let her opponent get a sniff from there on.
The Spaniard stayed ahead all through the contest from that point, completing a fairly comprehensive 21-16, 21-13 win in 40 minutes.
Nehwal’s exit brought an end to India’s campaign at the first World Tour Super 500 tournament of the season.
The 28-year-old Indian, who had won the title in 2017 and was a runners-up in the 2011 edition
Tied 5-5 on head-to-head ahead of the clash, Saina had made a good start to the match leading 5-2 at the start but an aggressive Marin reeled off seven straight points to turn the tables before grabbing a 11-9 lead at the break.
The Spaniard extended it to 13-9 before Saina clawed back at 14-14. However, Marin produced a determined effort to reach the game points after gathering six points on the trot. She easily sealed the first game in 20 minutes with a measured return at the Indian's fore court.
In the second game, Marin was more dominant as she surged to a 6-1 lead early on and kept her stranglehold at the interval with a 11-6 advantage.
Saina, who had won the title in Malaysia in 2017, tried to make a comeback but Marin was always a step ahead. The Spaniard slowly created a huge gap which the Indian failed to bridge.
Marin eventually grabbed eight match points with a cross court smash. Saina saved one with a deep corner smash which Marin failed to connect but the left-handed shuttler produced a straight return next to seal the issue in her favour.
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