India Open Highlights: Saina Nehwal Celebrates World No. 1 Rank with Crushing Win vs Yui Hashimoto
Saina Nehwal cruises into the India Open Final beating Yui Hashimoto of Japan 21-15, 21-11
Saina Nehwal celebrated her number one ranking with a crushing victory over the unseeded Yui Hashimoto from Japan in the India Open at the Siri Fort sports complex. Saina came from behind to win the first game, but smashed her opponent in a dominant display in the second. Saina, the first Indian woman player to achieve World No. 1 rank in the sport, will now face Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon in the final. Here are the highlights of the match:
18:32 PM (IST): That's it! Game Over! Saina Nehwal win the semifinal clash against Hashimoto 21-15, 21-11. She will now meet Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon in the final.
18:31 PM (IST): 18 - 6 After three straight points from Hashimoto, Saina gets one back!
18:29 PM (IST): 17-3 Saina Nehwal in cruise control making the Japanese run around the court!
18:26 PM (IST): 15-3 Everything is going wrong for the young Japanese. She has no answer to Saina's deft touches.
18:24 PM (IST): 11-2 Saina Nehwal is cruising towards a victory and Hashimoto looks stunned. The Indian ace player has found her feet and is smashing her way to the finals.
18:22 PM (IST): 10-2 This is a landslide now. Hashimoto has no answer to Saina's dominance.
18:21 PM (IST): 8-2 This is sliding away from the Japanese very soon. Saina has found her groove and is toying with her.
18:20 PM (IST): 3-2 Stunning shot from Saina. Full stretch and Hashimoto had no clue about that!
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18:14 PM (IST): 21- 15 First game done! Hashimoto fought well in the first half but Saina ran away with the game. Just too much quality from the Indian superstar!
18:11 PM (IST): 18-15 Saina just not getting it right. Smashing it on the net this time.
18:09 PM (IST): 17-12 Smashed it! Saina using Hashimoto's lack of experience. The smash went through at 329 km/hr.
18:07 PM (IST): 15-10 Saina not in her best form but doing just enough to hold on to her lead.
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18:04 PM (IST): 12-9 Hashimoto is giving a good fight here. Won't be an easy game for Saina.
18:02 PM (IST): 11-8 Hashimoto may be a lower ranked player but she is playing with no fear at all. However, Saina is using her experience to guide her through.
18:00 PM (IST): 7-7 Saina making a comeback. Stretching the Japanese here with some good placement.
17: 59 PM (IST): 5-7 Hashimoto making Saina sweat. Long rally of 33 shots and Saina misjudging a few here.
17:57 PM (IST): 4-6 Saina in a spot of bother. Missing out on an easy smash.
17:56 PM (IST): 4-4 Hashimoto makes a comeback.
17: 55 PM (IST): 4-1 Saina gets the early lead. Hashimoto, understandably looks nervous.
17:53 PM (IST): And Saina gets the first point!
17:52 PM (IST): Saina's coach Vimal Kumar looks relaxed and has a smile on his face.
17:50 PM (IST): Saina's opponent Hashimoto is unseeded in the tournament and is placed 37th in the World Ranking.
17:47 PM (IST): And here we go! Saina Nehwal arrives at the court among massive cheer from the fans.
17:43 PM (IST): Besides Saina, Kidambi Srikanth also reaches the semis in the men's section after a hard fought victory against the Japanese Takuma Ueda. Scores - 15 -21, 25-23 and 18-21.
17:37 PM (IST): "I want to be the best. It's not about the ranking, it's about being consistent. Li Xuerui is injured. You can't ignore the fact that she's the best player in the world," said Saina before the Semifinal clash.
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16:41 PM (IST): With the defeat of Carolina Marin to Ratchanok Intanon, Saina Nehwal become the World No. 1 in the rankings. She is the first Indian woman badminton player to attain the feat.
Saina had defeated Indonesia's Hana Ramadhini 21-15, 21-12 on Friday to reach the semis. The Olympic bronze medalist has been in fine form in recent weeks and has hardly looked as if she is tiring down.
Hashimoto though has been in good form as well. The 24-year-old may not have the experience or may not have won the same kind of laurels as her opponent from India but Hashimoto will look to still battle hard. A packed venue backing Saina will not make the job any easy.
a hard fought victory against the Japanese Takuma Ueda with the score reading 15 -21, 25-23 and 18-21.