The hype surrounding Saina Nehwal-PV Sindhu match lived up to its billing today with the two badminton sensations lighting up the court with some attacking play during the women's singles clash between Hyderabad Hotshots and Awadhe Warriors in the Indian Badminton League, says a report in Deccan Chronicle, adding that Sindhu, who is basking in the glory of her success in the World Championships, put up a good fight in the opening game, running neck and neck until losing the momentum in the crucial last two points. Saina went 1-0 up, winning the opening game 21-19.
That probably shifted the momentum in Saina's favour who steamrolled Sindhu in the second game 21-8. Saina brought all her experience to the fore, outhtinking her younger counterparts with some smart badminton. During one such moment when the two rallied around the net, Saina hits the shuttlecock over Sindhu's head for the younger shuttler to lose track of it and lose a point. Saina prevailed over the younger shuttler 21-19, 21-8.
According to a report in The Hindu, while Sindhu looked a faint memory of her dominating self which earned her the reputation of being a giant-killer, Saina’s game did not reflect the fact that she could not win a single title this year and also failed to win a medal at the World Championship in China.
Sindhu, who beat two Chinese in the run up to her bronze medal-winning feat at the recently concluded World Championship, dominated the proceedings early on as she used her deceptive drops and angled slice to bamboozle Saina.
Sindhu enjoyed a healthy lead in the first two breaks. The young Hyderabadi was leading 7-3 in the first interval and then kept a 14-10 distance in the second break. But Saina, who was depending more on her baseline down the line smashes till now, changed gears and clawed back with some immaculate body smashes and then marched ahead at 17-15.
Sindhu kept her cool and grabbed two quick points to make it 17-17 but she lost a point at the net to hand over the lead to Saina again. Egged on by the vociferous crowd, the 23-year-old moved to a two-game point lead and although she lost a game point, she sealed the issue in her favour with a smash.
Meanwhile according to a report in Deccan Herald, in the second game, Sindhu could not play her natural game. She looked completely off-colour and struggled with her strokes. She committed many unforced errors as Saina led 7-4 and 14-6 in the first two intervals.
Sindhu could not break Saina’s rally game and surrendered rather meekly in the end as the latter shut the doors on her younger colleague with a powerful smash.