Saina Nehwal treads into Women’s Singles semi-finals of 2012 London Olympics – Badminton Update
India’s badminton queen Saina Nehwal stamped her supremacy over Tine Baun in the quarter-finals of London Olympics on August 1, 2012 and ensured her presence in the semi-final round.
World Number five shuttler, who also holds fourth spot in tournament ranking, displayed commendable craft on court at Wembley Arena and finished this battle in just two games.
Saina registered final result of 21-15 and 22-20 to setup a semi-final clash with top seeded Wang Yihan of China.
In round of eight, the Indian campaigner looked in prime touch as she completely outclassed the Danish player in all areas of the game and sealed a splendid straight-set win.
She played with great precision throughout this tussle and did not allow her challenger to proceed easily.
The 22-year-old Saina started the beating right from the first stroke and kept thrashing her challenger until last shot was played in the opening game.
In the first half, she kick-started her campaign with few back-to-back points and then never looked back after getting into the right momentum.
She kept the opposing shuttler at lower end all the way to mid-game break and finished the first half with a respectable total of 11 on points table.
Later part of the game saw Saina Nehwal strengthening her grip by dominating in a couple of nonstop rallies.
The Indian shuttler did not give Tine Baun even a single counter-attack opportunity and swept the table with 21-15 margin.
However, next game was not a one-sided affair as the Danish player made every effort to avoid a straight-set defeat and pushed her rival all the way to the game point situation.
This time, World Number seven shuttler Tine Baun did not allow Saina to establish a comfortable lead at any stage of the game and remained close in score position.
She exhibited commendable fighting spirit and aroused the hopes of her supporters by gaining a slight edge in the beginning.
At one stage, it seemed that she will overpower her opponent but Saina proved a tough nut to crack in the final stage of this crucial game.
She reinstated her dominance with couple of productive rallies and stole the limelight with a tight yet decisive figure of 22-20.
Now, Saina is the only hope for India in badminton event as all of other shuttlers have bid adieu to the London Games.
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