Indian eves beat Hong Kong in Uber Cup opener

New Delhi: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal pulled off a thrilling victory over world number eight Zhou Mi as Indian women defeated formidable Hong Kong in their Uber Cup (Asia Zone) opener in Nakornratchasima, Thailand.

World number seven Saina bounced back from a game down to edge past Zhou 14-21, 21-10, 23-21 in a 50-minute clash to give India a flying start in the prestigious team event. Hong Kong pulled one back in the second singles when Yip Pui Yin beat Sayali Gokhale 21-13, 21-11.National champion Trupti Murgunde, however, put India ahead once again as she saw off Chan Tsz Ka 21-18, 21-16 in just 27 minutes. India`s best doubles player Jwala Gutta then teamed up with Ashwini Ponnappa to seal the tie for India as the duo beat Zhou Mi and Tse Ying Suet 21-13, 21-16 in a 21-minute match.In the fifth match, Aparna Balan and Shruti Kurian went down to Chau Hoi Wah and Chan Tsz Ka 9-21, 13-21 but it didn`t have any bearing on the result as India emerged victorious by a 3-2 margin. Moments after the match, Saina said it was an unexpected win as Hong Kong are very strong. PTI