BWF World Championships: Saina Nehwal started her BWF World Championship campaign with a straight game win over Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi
London Olympics bronze medalist shuttler Saina Nehwal began her BWF World Championship campaign with a straight game win over Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi here on Tuesday. Saina took 38 minutes to beat Ngan Yi 21-19 21-9 in the first round. The 32-year-old, who has silver and bronze from the Worlds, thus advanced to the pre-quarterfinals as her second-round rival, Nozomi Okuhara, pulled out of the tournament with an injury, giving the Indian a bye.
Women’s doubles pair of Tresa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also made a winning start.
The Indian pair barely broke a sweat as they beat Malaysians Yen Yuan Lo and Valerie Seo 21-11 21-13.
However, it was the end of the road for the mixed doubles pair of Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Devangan as they lost 10-21, 21-23 to Gregory Myers and Jenny Moore of England.
Saina Nehwal’s one-off record against Cheung Ngan Yi
Saina Nehwal has played five times against Cheung Ngan Yi. Saina face to face 4-1 after today’s win
How important is the BWF World Championship for Saina Nehwal and other badminton players?
If Saina Nehwal does well in Tokyo, BWF World Championships, it will be a big opportunity for her as she was not available for Olympic and Commonwealth Games campaigns. Currently, she seems to be in red-hot form and will likely lead India to another title.
For other Indian players, it will be a great opportunity to establish India’s identity as a badminton playing nation like China or Singapore. India’s badminton players have been exceptional in the Commonwealth Games 2022 and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Every good match is making India a more dominant nation in badminton.
BWF World Championship: Key Features
Saina Nehwal recovered from a sluggish run with a win against Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi. Former badminton champion Japanese player Nozomi Okuhara will play the pre-quarterfinals due to injury.
Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand also defeated Malaysia’s Lo Yen Yuan and Valerie Sio to take on CWG Champion Pearly Tan-Thinah Muralitharan in her next game.
Shikha Gautam-Ashwini Bhat also defeated the Italian pair of Martina Corsini-Judith Maier and will play against Korea’s Kim So Yong and Kong Hee Yong in their next match.
Where can you watch the BWF World Championships?
According to reports, the live telecast of the BWF World Championship will be streamed live on Sport 18 and on Voot Select. Also, you can follow some news streaming portals which are covering the live events.