Saina beaten in final, settles for Silver in Junior World C'ship

Incheon, Nov 11 (UNI) Saina Nehwal's golden run in the World Junior Championship was halted by formidable Chinese Yihan Wang and the diminutive Indian shuttler had to be satisfied with the Silver after losing the final in straight games here today.

Saina tried her best against the top seeded Chinese opponent but Wang had little trouble in chalking out an emphatic 21-13, 21-9 win in the summit clash.

BY finishing second best, Saina replicated the decade-old feat achieved by her compatriot Aparna Popat in Denmark.

Saina, who became the first Indian woman to win a four-star badminton event at the Philippines Open earlier this year, began in the right earnest and tried every arsenal from her book. Wang, however, remained unperturbed and the Chinese shuttler underlined her superiority with a fool-proof game that left the Indian exasperated.

Saina's trademark power-packed game could not flourish against the wily Chinese player who covered the court well and on a number of occasion caught her rival on the wrong foot.

And once she had read Saina in the first game, it was smooth sailing for Yang in the second one and the Chinese shuttler displayed her wide range of shots to shut out the Indian and walk away with the game and the title in just 26 minutes.

UNI XC-AY PM DS1402