Seoul: London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal lost to former world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 21-15 15-21 20-22 in a heartbreaking match in the quarterfinals of the Korea Open on Friday, ending India’s campaign at the tournament.
In a nail-biting match, the Japanese player came back from 16-20 down to win the deciding game 22-20, forcing the fifth-seeded Indian to squander four match points and exit from the tournament.
In the first game, Saina started poorly as she committed three unforced errors to go down 3-1 in the game.
Her Japanese rival did not look good, as her smashes were going over the base line which helped Saina win the game 21-15.
But, in the second game, Okuhara started well as she got a 4-1 lead early on, putting pressure on Saina leading her to take a 11-9 lead at the break in the second game.
During the second set, the playing conditions completely changed and the drift almost vanished, making it extremely confusing for the players.
However, Okuhara braved the conditions to win the game 21-15, forcing the match into a decider.
In the final game, Saina looked more energetic.
She was leading with a 4-1 score and was looking good with her court coverage.
But the Japanese player improved on her game as well and won four points on the trot.
The Japanese showed nerves of steel to win the decider game 22-20, setting the semifinals clash with her compatriot top-seeded Akane Yamaguchi in the tournament.
With this defeat, India’s hopes have come to an end in the tournament as Vaishnavi Reddy Jakk and Sameer Verma lost in their first round match, respectively, leaving Saina alone in the tournament.
This is Okuhara’s fourth win over Saina in 10 encounters, while the Indian has defeated the former six times. (UNI)
