Saina stops Wang, storms into semis

Wuhan (China), April 29

Saina, who had lost her last two encounters with Wang, tried to be patient during the energy-sapping rallies. At times, however, she failed to control the shuttle and lost points by hitting wide and long. In the opening game, Saina held a 11-10 advantage at the break and then pocketed four straight points to reach 15-10. Wang, however, narrowed down the lead to 16-17. But Saina looked unperturbed and opened up a four-point lead, and then finished off the game when Wang misjudged a return and allowed the shuttle to fall on the baseline.

In the second game, Saina grabbed an early lead, but the Chinese caught up with her and led 11-9 at the break. They continued to battle fiercely for every point and moved neck and neck till 19-19. A net error by the Chinese gave Saina the lead, and then another shot into the net by Wang put the Indian in the semis. — PTI