Badminton

Veteran shuttler Saina Nehwal bows out in the first round of the Orleans Masters

Veteran Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal bowed out in the first round of the Orleans Masters BWF Super 300 tournament in France. The Olympic medallist lost to Turkey’s Nesilhan Yigit in straight games.

This was Nehwal’s first tournament since the Indonesia Open in January this year. The 32-year-old missed out on the German Open, All England, Swiss Open and the Madrid Masters in Spain.

However, she was still the favourite to win against Yigit, who is 33 places behind her in the BWF World Rankings and simply outplayed the Indian in the first-round clash. Nehwal was slow to start and hence she was on the back foot early on. However, she came back and closed the gap, making it 11-13. But Yigit had spring in her steps as she made the most of Nehwal’s errors and closed out the first game.

Nehwal’s poor run continued in the second game as she trailed by 0-4 in quick time. The Turkish shuttler was very keen to not give away the advantage to her opponent. She was excellent with her movement and dominated the rallies to put pressure on Nehwal throughout. Yigit never handed the lead to Nehwal in the second game and closed the match out with a scoreline of 21-16, 21-14 in only 39 minutes.

Apart from Nehwal, Akarshi Kashyap and Tasnim Mir also bowed out of the event. Only Tanya Hemnath progressed to the next round after she defeated French shuttler Leonice Huet 21-17, 21-18. Kashyap lost out to Japanese shuttler Natsuki Nidaira 8-21, 21-13, 8-21. While Mir fell to Yvonne Li of Germany by a scoreline of 22-20, 13-21, 5-21.

There were finally some positives as Mithun Manjunath defeated Denmark’s Victor Svendsen 24-22, 25-23 to progress into the second round of the Men’s Singles. While Priyanshu Rajawat also started with a win as he defeated his compatriot Kiran George 21-18, 21-13 to progress to the next round of the Orleans Masters.

Manjunath’s next opponent is Chinese Taipei’s Yu Jen. Jen was fortunate to make it to the second round after fifth seed Rasmus Gemke retired during their first-round clash. Meanwhile, Rajawat will have a tough outing in the second round as he will face top seed Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto. The Japanese shuttler was dominant in his first-round clash as he defeated Chinese Taipei’s Chia Hao Lee 21-11, 21-11.

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

India’s Junior Men Clinch Bronze with Gritty 2-1 Win Over Australia in Four Nations Tournament

The Indian junior men’s hockey team wrapped up their campaign at the Four Nations Tournament… Read More

June 26, 2025

Suryakumar Yadav Undergoes Successful Sports Hernia Surgery, Eyes Return for Bangladesh Tour

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has successfully undergone surgery for a sports hernia in his… Read More

June 26, 2025

Golden Glove Winner Jaspreet Singh Joins Bengaluru FC in Key Summer Move

Bengaluru FC have taken a decisive step toward rebuilding their squad by signing goalkeeper Jaspreet… Read More

June 26, 2025

Ravi Shastri says opening Test loss against England is a tough pill to swallow for India

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri believes the opening Test loss against England is a… Read More

June 26, 2025

Varun Aaron says England batters’ approach made Jasprit Bumrah desperate for wickets in 2nd innings of 1st Test

Former Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron believes England batters were able to find a way… Read More

June 26, 2025

Varun Aaron says Karun Nair will be disappointed with his opening Test performance against England

Former Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron believes Karun Nair will be disappointed after he failed… Read More

June 26, 2025