Saina makes flying start

June 23, 2011 03:09 am | Updated August 18, 2016 03:42 pm IST - Jakarta:

Defending champion Saina Nehwal was off to a flying start at the Indonesian Open Super Series badminton, defeating Bulgaria's Linda Zecheri 21-12, 21-10.

The fourth-seeded Saina took just 29 minutes to get past the unseeded Zechiri in a lopsided contest here.

Saina will next face another unseeded Bulgarian in Petya Nedelcheva, who rallied to defeat Ukraine's Larisa Griga 17-21, 21-19, 21-9.

Zechiri did put up some fight to start with but Saina soon began to control the proceedings, reeling off 10 straight points to clinch the opening game that was tied 12-12 at one stage.

Saina was in top form in the second game as she quelled Zechiri's challenge with superior net play and fine smashes.

In the men's singles, Ajay Jayaram lost to Denmark's fifth seed Peter Hoeg Gade 22-24, 12-21. In women's doubles, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa stormed into the pre-quarterfinals with a 21-17, 21-17 victory over the Dutch duo of Lotte Jonathans and Paulien van Dooremalen.

However, the men's doubles pair of Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas crashed out in the first round after they lost to the British pair of Anthony Clarke and Chris Langridge 21-18, 17-21, 16-21.

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