New Delhi: Three-time champion Saina Nehwal staved off a challenge from a lower-ranked Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei to make a positive start to her women’s singles campaign at the $900,000 Indonesia Super Series Premier badminton tournament in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Eighth seed Saina recovered from a mid-game slump to register a 21-11, 19-21, 21-15 win over world no. 23 Pai at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
The Indian ace will next take on local shuttler Fitriani Fitriani on Wednesday.
However, mixed doubles pair of Manu Attri and Ashwini Ponnappa went down fighting 14-21, 25-27 to Singapore’s Yong Kai Terry Hee and Wei Han Tan in a 30-minute match.
Looking for her maiden title of the season, Saina had to fight for each point early on as Pai displayed a good game. At 14-11, Saina reeled off seven straight points to grab the opening game.
In the second, Saina moved to a 10-5 lead but Pai turned the tables with a seven-point burst to move to 12-10. The Indian tried to regain the lead but Pai staved off the challenge and roared back into the contest.
In the decider, Saina surged ahead to a 11-5 lead but Pai once again caught up at 13-13. But this time, Saina ensured there was no hiccup as she closed the door after moving to 18-13 with five straight points. Saina had won the Indonesia Open title in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
