Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal could not overcome a poor start as she went down tamely to Tine Baun of Denmark 14-21, 21-11, 19-21 in the Women's singles Group B round robin league match of the BWF Super Series Finals in Shenzhen, China.
The fourth seed Indian stalwart caught hold of two crucial match points with the experienced Dane unleashing the final blow in the decider. Having been left behind with 17-20, the gritty Hyderabad girl gained two points and seemed as if dragging the game but Tine emerged victorious in the end.
Courtesy this defeat , the 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Saina made her chances difficult by leading her towards a must-win situation. The world no. 3 must win the remaining two matches against Juliane Schenk of Germany and Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand to have any chances of reaching to the last four stage.
Tine, who won All-England champion twice will be retiring in a couple of days, is seen as the most fragile player among the four in Group B. The unexpected defeat of Saina and the sudden victory of Ratchanok over Schenk had created a wide gap in the group now. Ratchanok, the three-time world junior champion has evicted out Schenk in straight games 21-17, 22-20.
The Thai teen sensation will now play Saina Nehwal in the second round robin match on Thursday. A defeat here will more or less end the Indian's efforts of making it to the Finals. Saina has the lead of 4-1 over Ratchanok, but the concern is that the Thai player is displaying thick vein of form in the last couple of months that proves to be a great cause of worry for the Indian No. 1.
Saina could not ground her feet in the first game over Tine. The game hardly reached the halfway stage, but Tine was already leading 13-7. Though the Hyderabadi tried to get her fold, she struggled towards the end of the game.
After going down in the opening game at 14-21, Saina made a spirited comeback by winning the second game. She was back to her winning ways in a whisker, moving to 5-2 lead and was perfectly placed at 11-4 by the break. Tine did not resist in the second game as Saina emerged winner for that game with 21-11.
After she was back to the other side of the court for the third game, Saina lost her rhythm again and with the change of courts Tine was comfortably ahead at 11-6. The ace Indian shuttler overcome after the mandatory change of court and even inched closer to win the deciding game with 13-14.
Eventually, a four-point outburst by Tine, who launched eight smash winners in the third game, turned the complexion of the game into her favor. From 13-18, it was Saina who put in her best and even got as close as 19-20, but only to see Tine winning the game. Interestingly, it is Saina's first loss to Tine after November 18, 2011. The 22-year-old had won over Tine during three instances earlier in the previous year.
