No PV Sindhu-Saina Nehwal Showdown at Hong Kong Open As Latter Crashes Out
PV Sindhu surpassed Saina Nehwal in the Badminton World Federation rankings on Friday. Sindhu later booked her place in the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open, while Saina Nehwal crashed out in the quarters
Highlights
-
PV Sindhu is ranked No. 9 in the world
-
PV Sindhu has entered the Hong Kong Open semi-finals
-
Saina Nehwal is ranked No. 11 in the world
PV Sindhu has surpassed Saina Nehwal in the world badminton rankings. In the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) charts, released on Thursday, Sindhu is No. 9 in the world while Saina is No. 11.
Sindhu, first Indian badminton player to win a silver medal at Olympics, gained two places after her recent China Open win. Saina, on the other hand, lost five places to be placed outside top-10 for the first time in eight years.
Saina had lost in the first round of 2016 China Open to Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand and that led to loss of points, as she had entered the final in the 2015 edition of the event.
Sindhu in semi-finals, Saina Nehwal crashes out
PV Sindhu defeated Singapore's Xiaoyu Liang 21-17, 21-23, 21-18 in the last eight clash of the Hong Kong Open on Friday, to book her place in the semis.
Later in the day, Saina Nehwal's loss in the tournament ruled out the possibility of a semifinal showdown with Sindhu, as she went down to local favourite Cheung Ngan Yi 8-21, 21-18, 19-21 in the last-eight.
Sindhu will now face Saina's conqueror Ngan Yi in the tournament's semifinals on Saturday.