Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin, Malaysia Masters Semi-final, Highlights: Saina loses 16-21, 13-21
Highlights: Saina Nehwal ended India’s campaign at the Malaysia Masters after losing 16-21, 13-21 in the semi-final against Rio Olympics gold medallist Carolina Marin in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. The Spanish shuttler is gunning for her second Malaysia Masters title, a tournament which PV Sindhu has won twice in her career.Follow Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin highlights below -
11:21 hrs IST
Marin wins 21-16, 21-13
Carolina Marin finishes the match with a scoreline of 21-16, 21-13. Nehwal tried her best to be competitive in the match but Marin was just too good. The Spanish carried out he smashes and drop shots brilliantly.
11:19 hrs IST
Marin’s excellent cross-court
Marin executes an excellent cross-court smash as she leads 20-12 in this match. She is just one point away from a place in the final.
11:18 hrs IST
Nehwal fails to pick up a drop shot
Carolina Marin plays a drop shot and Saina struggles to get the shuttle past the net. The Spanish shuttler leads 18-11 in this semi-final.
11:15 hrs IST
Marin swats the shuttle
Carolina Marin swats the shuttle towards Nehwal’s back-hand and takes a 14-7 lead in the match. Nehwal is losing the plot quickly in this match.
11:13 hrs IST
Saina hits the net once again
Saina strikes the shuttle onto the net once again as Marin closes in on a spot in the final. The Spanish shuttler leads 13-7 at the moment.
11:10 hrs IST
Saina struggles against Marin’s fast game
Carolina Marin returned everything quickly at Saina Nehwal before the Indian hit the shuttle outside the sideline as she was being taken off guard.
11:07 hrs IST
Marin leads 6-2
Carolina Marin hits the shuttle outside the sideline, but still leads 6-2. Saina finally gets a chance to serve. can she make a dramatic comeback in this match?
11:04 hrs IST
Saina lobs the shuttle outside
Saina Nehwal isn’t able to control her shot-making well as she strikes the shuttle outside the base line once again. Marin leads 4-1 in the second game.
11:00 hrs IST
Marin wins the first game 21-16
Saina Nehwal fails to pick up a drop shot and concedes the first game 21-16. The Spanish is looking very comfortable on the court while Nehwal is committing too many unforced errors.
10:58 hrs IST
Marin leads 20-14
Six consecutive points for Marin and Saina is a staring at a loss in the first game. Saina commits an unforced error by hitting the shuttle on the net and Marin leads 20-14 in the first game.
10:56 hrs IST
Marin inches to a 1-0 lead
Saina Nehwal hits the shuttle outside the baseline and Marin take a 17-14 lead. She is just four points away from taking a 1-0 lead in this match.
10:55 hrs IST
Nehwal fights back
Saina has crawled her way back into the game. She executes a drop shot brilliantly to level the match at 14-14. Can she hold her nerve and close out the match?
10:51 hrs IST
Nehwal strikes the shuttle outside the line
Unforced errors are not helping Saina Nehwal here. She returns a service outside the line and Marin takes a 13-9 lead in this match. The Indian will have to get her act together quickly.
10:50 hrs IST
Marin has her nose in front
Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin leads 11-9 at the break. Nehwal seems to be struggling against Marin’s game plan just a little bit.
10:46 hrs IST
Marin leads 9-5
Carolina Marin has found her groove in this semi-final match-up. She is controlling the game completely, not leaving an inch of error for Nehwal to take advantage. She leads 9-5 at the moment.
10:42 hrs IST
Saina leads 4-1
Saina Nehwal executes a cross-court smash beautifully and takes a 4-1 lead in this semi-final. The shuttler is looking good at the moment, but consistency will be the key in this game.
10:40 hrs IST
Saina draws first blood
Carolina Marin strikes the shuttle into the net and Saina Nehwal gets her nose in front. The Indian will have to be on top of her game if she wants to book a spot in the final.
10:35 hrs IST
Saina-Marin match to begin in a few minutes
The star badminton players Saina Nehwal and Carolina Marin are on the court. The match will begin in a few minutes.
10:05 hrs IST
Road to semis
09:50 hrs IST
Hello and welcome
Hello and welcome to the live blog of the Malaysia Masters semi-final clash between Saina Nehwal and Carolina Marin. Saina is eyeing her second title in Malaysia but first, she will have to overcome reigning Olympics champion Marin for a spot in the final.