Saina Nehwal scripted a brilliant comeback to win her semi-final encounter against China’s He Bingjao in the 2019 Indonesia Masters. The 28-year-old outclassed the World No.6 18-21, 21-12, 21-18.
In the first set, the World No.8 took an unassailable 11-7 lead in the break which she extended to 16-11. However, the Chinese narrowed it down to 15-16 before overtaking her at 18-all and winning three consecutive points to win the set.
Saina started the second set strongly and grabbed a 6-3 lead early on. Bingjao’s unforced errors made the matters simpler for the Olympic Bronze medalist who went into the break with a 11-3 advantage. She showed no mercy and won the set 21-12.
In the decider, Saina again took an indomitable early lead at 9-5. However, Bingjao leveled the playing field at 10-all. From then on, the battle became that of nerves. Saina screamed and roared her way to the victory after picking three consecutive points from 18-all.
India’s other shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth bowed out in the quarterfinals whereas Subhankar Dey and Parupalli Kashyap got themselves knocked out in the first round itself.
Saina Nehwal will now face Olympic Gold medalist Carolina Marin in the finals to claim the coveted trophy and $26250 USD.
