Badminton Asia Championship: Indian challenge comes to an end as Saina, Sindhu bow out of tournament

Wuhan: World No 1 Saina Nehwal bowed out of the $200,000 Badminton Asia Championship following a quarterfinal loss against Tzu Ying Tai in Wuhan on Friday. The fifth seed defeated the Indian 16-21, 21-13, 21-18 in 55 minutes to seal a place in the semifinal of the event.

Tai’s third consecutive over Saina helped her to level the head-to-head record to 5-5.

With Saina knocked out of the tournament, Indian hopes were pinned on P V Sindhu. However, she lost her quarterfinal clash against the reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui.