Saina beats world champion Lu Lan to make Singapore Open final
By IANSSaturday, June 19, 2010
SINGAPORE - Indian’s star shuttler Saina Nehwal stormed into the final of the Singapore Open Super Series badminton with a spectacular victory over World Champion Lu Lan of China Saturday.
World No.6 Saina, who is the top seed in the tournament, lost the first game but bounced back to beat the fourth-seeded Chinese 8-21, 21-17, 21-8 in the semi-finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Saina is in line for her second Super Series title having won the Indonesian Open in June last year.
The Indian will meet qualifier Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei in the title clash. The 16-year-old, Tzu, ranked 118, beat South Korea’s Youn Joo Bae 21-16, 21-18 in the other semi-final.
Saina, who won the Indian Open Grand Prix last week, had been in irresistable form in the tournament and avenged her defeat at the hands of Chinese Li Xuerui, who stunned the Indian at home in the semi-finals of Badminton Asia Championships in April.
In the men’s singles, India’s Parupalli Kashyap went down to seventh seed Indonesian Sony Kuncoro 19-21, 20-22.
Kuncoro will face fourth seed Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand who beat veteran Peter Gade of Denmark 20-22, 21-17, 21-16.
It has been a good tournament for Kashyap, who upset third seed Tien Minh Nguyen of Vietnam in the second round and then beat campatriot Arvind Bhat to secure a semi-final place.
