Indian Badminton League: Saina Nehwal vs PV Sindhu - As it happened

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Zee Media Bureau/Suyash Srivastava New Delhi: In a much-awaited match of the Indian Badminton League (IBL), ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal defeated PV Sindhu 21-19, 21-8. The first game was a closely fought contest where Sindhu impressed everybody with her aggressive play. The 18-year-old however seemed to have lost some concentration in the second game where she was almost a no show. Speaking after the match, Saina who struggled in the first game had words of praise for her opponent Sindhu. "I think first game there is always a lot of pressure. That happens. She is playing at the international level. She really played well," Saina said. Saina also said that she hopes to play many more matches with Sindhu in the future. ==================================================================================== 2nd Set: Saina wins it 21-8. # Saina wins the second set and the match with another smash, 21-8. Match over. # Saina wins the next point as Sindhu's shot hits the nets, 20-8, match point for Saina! # Saina wins another point, 19-8. # Saina now delivers a smash, again a 10-point lead, 18-8. # Sindhu wins the next point, 17-8. # Saina wins the point after a long rally which ended when Sindhu's shot went wide, 17-7. # Sindhu wins the next point, 16-7. # Sindhu's shot went wide this time and Saina now leads by 10 points, 16-6. # Sindhu left a shot as she thought it was wide, called in, Saina leads 15-6. # Second break, and Saina now leads 14-6. Sindhu seems to have lost her rhythm as well as concentration. Coaches trying to speak to Sindhu, probably asking to concentrate on more rallies. She did that in the initial phase of the first set. # Saina wins the next point, 13-6. Still a 7-point lead. # Sindhu wins a point, 12-6. # Sindhu makes an error after she had the entire court to execute a shot. She was unhappy after losing that point, 12-5. # Saina now leads by six points, 11-5. Sindhu has lost her concentration. # Another good deception from Saina, 9-5 she leads. # Sindhu wins next point, 5-8. # Another terrific rally. Saina wins it, leads 8-4. # At first break, Saina is now leading 7-4. Saina is confusing Sindhu with her experience, aggression and deception. Sindhu who dominated the first game for most of the part is now making too many unforced errors. # Sindhu replies back with a smash, 6-4. # Three points in a row for Saina as he once again comes to the net and plays a smash, 6-3. # Saina wins another point, 5-3. # Saina takes the lead, 4-3. # More deception from Saina, Sindhu came to the nets and the shuttle went abover her, scores level 3-3. # Saina's smash goes long, Sindhu leads 3-2. # Saina executes another powerful smash, scores level 2-2. # Saina's smash goes wide, Sindhu leads 2-1. # Saina comes back to win the second point, 1-1. # Sindhu wins the first point after a good rally, 1-0. Fascinating first set. Both the players have proved so far why the match is a Clash of the titans! 1st SET: Saina Nehwal wins it 21-19 And Saina seals the first game 21-19! # Sindhu saves a game point, trails 19-20. # Sindhu tries a smash and gets into a mess as it falls short, Saina leads 20-18. # Sidhu wins a rally with a smash, Saina leads 19-18. # Saina shows more aggression, wins another point, 19-17. Crowd going berserk. # Sindhu's drop short falls short, Saina leads 18-17. # Sindhu wins the next two points, 17-17. #Saina plays a deceptive drop shot, 17-15. # Saina finally takes the lead with a cross court smash, Saina leads 16-15. # Sindhu misjudged a shot that fell in and scores have equalised, 15-15. # Another powerful smash from Saina, 15-14. Saina is no more interested in playing rallies. # Body smash from Saina, Sindhu was clueless there, 15-13. Saina is now showing more aggression. # Powerful smash from Saina, 15-12. # Both the players win a point each. Saina won the point with some good play at the nets. Sindhu still leads 15-11. # At second break, Sindhu has maintained her four point lead when Saina missed out the sight of the shuttle, 14-10. # Sindhu has now won four points in a row 13-9. # In what was a rally of the match, Sindhu won it, 12-9. Saina looks a bit tiring here. # And Sidhu extends her lead to 11-9. # Good drop shot from Sindhu after a good rally, 10-9. # Scores level, 9-9. Saina is using all her experience here. #Saina wins three consecutive points, 7-8. # Saina further reduces Sindhu's lead to 6-8. # A superb smash from Saina, 5-8. # First break point and Sidhu leads 7-3. After trailing 0-2, she bounced back with aggression and some clever shots. The crowd has gone berserk and we are up for a match here! #Another superb smash from Sindhu extended her lead to 5-3. # Sindhu equalised the score and then took the lead by 4-2. # Saina to serve. Saina wins the first point after Sindhu’s shot hits the net. Sindhu lost the second point after her smash went wide, 2-0. Sandhu too is excited to play against Saina. When asked whether she has defeated Saina during practice matches, Sindhu revealed that both of them are playing against each other for the first time. The players are on the court and Saina thanks her fans and says she will try to give her best. ==================================================================================== Days after she made the country proud after winning the bronze medal at Badminton World Championships, it would be a great contest for PV Sindhu when she takes on Saina Nehwal on Day 2 of the Indian Badminton League (IBL). Sindhu is up for the challenge after she said she was ready to take on Saina Nehwal. PV Sindhu leads the Awadhe Warriors while Saina Nehwal leads Hyderabad Hotshots. Meanwhile, the million-dollar Indian Badminton League (IBL) on Wednesday kicked off with a glittering opening ceremony even as Krrish Delhi Smashers clashed with the Pune Pistons in the tournament opener. It was a colourful show of laser lights, acrobatics, Bollywood songs and dance as the half-an-hour opening ceremony started the proceedings at the Siri Fort Sports complex. Flags of different franchises were carried by women inside big bubbles and acrobatics were performed by artists who used big size circles and cubes to showcase their skills, enthralling the sparse crowd.