<p>Top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Sania Nehwal notched up contrasting wins to advance to the second round of the Asia Badminton Championship here Wednesday.</p>

<p>Olympic and world championship silver medallist Sindhu eased past Takahashi Sayaka of Japan in straight games. Sindhu looked in command from the beginning and registered a thumping 21-14 21-7 victory in just 28 minutes. The fourth seed Indian will next face Choirunnisa of Indonesia.</p>

<p>World number nine Saina had to work hard in her bid to get the better of China's Han Yue. The seventh seed Indian came back strongly to pull off a thrilling 12-21 21-11 21-17 win after conceding the first game. The London Olympic bronze medallist will next square off against Kim Ga Eun of South Korea.</p>

<p>In the men's singles, Sameer Verma notched up a hard-fought 21-13 17-21 21-18 victory over Sakai Kazumasa of Japan. The Indian survived a scare after losing the second game but, after struggling for an hour and seven minutes, he trumped the Japanese. The world number 15 Indian will next face Hong Kong's Ng Ka Long Angus.</p>

<p>It was the end of the road for the men's doubles pair of M R Arjun and Ramchadran Shlok, who went down 18-21 15-21 to the Chinese duo of He Jiting and Tan Qiang.</p>

<p>In the women's doubles, Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram lost 21-13 21-16 to the Thai pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.</p>

<p>Later in the day, Kidambi Srikanth will be up against Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito in the men's singles and Pooja Dandu-Sanjana Santosh and Aparna Balan-Sruthi K also have their women's doubles matches scheduled.</p>


Top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Sania Nehwal notched up contrasting wins to advance to the second round of the Asia Badminton Championship here Wednesday. Olympic and world championship silver medallist Sindhu eased past Takahashi Sayaka of Japan in straight games.

Top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Sania Nehwal notched up contrasting wins to advance to the second round of the Asia Badminton Championship here Wednesday. Olympic and world championship silver medallist Sindhu eased past Takahashi Sayaka of Japan in straight games. Sindhu looked in command from the beginning and registered a thumping 21-14 21-7 victory in just 28 minutes. The fourth seed Indian will next face Choirunnisa of Indonesia. World number nine Saina had to work hard in her bid to get the better of China's Han Yue. The seventh seed Indian came back strongly to pull off a thrilling 12-21 21-11 21-17 win after conceding the first game. The London Olympic bronze medallist will next square off against Kim Ga Eun of South Korea. In the men's singles, Sameer Verma notched up a hard-fought 21-13 17-21 21-18 victory over Sakai Kazumasa of Japan. The Indian survived a scare after losing the second game but, after struggling for an hour and seven minutes, he trumped the Japanese. The world number 15 Indian will next face Hong Kong's Ng Ka Long Angus. It was the end of the road for the men's doubles pair of M R Arjun and Ramchadran Shlok, who went down 18-21 15-21 to the Chinese duo of He Jiting and Tan Qiang. In the women's doubles, Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram lost 21-13 21-16 to the Thai pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai. Later in the day, Kidambi Srikanth will be up against Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito in the men's singles and Pooja Dandu-Sanjana Santosh and Aparna Balan-Sruthi K also have their women's doubles matches scheduled.

PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal enter second round of Asia Badminton Championship

<p>India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu Thursday crashed out of the Malaysia Open after losing straight sets to South Korea's Sung Ji Hyun in the second round.</p>

<p>Sindhu fought a tight first game but failed to put up a fight in the second as she went down 18-21, 7-21 in the 43-minute affair.</p>

<p>On Wednesday, Sindhu advanced to the second round after facing some stiff challenge from Japan's Aya Ohori in the first set but completely dominated the second set as she defeated her 22-20, 21-12.</p>

<p>Yesterday, Saina Nehwal was knocked out of the tournament in the first round after losing to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 15-21, 10-21. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Indian challenge in the Malaysian Open now rests on Kidambi Srikanth, who will face Thailand's Khosit Phetpradab later in the day.&nbsp;</p>


India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu Thursday crashed out of the Malaysia Open after losing straight sets to South Korea's Sung Ji Hyun in the second round. Sindhu fought a tight first game but failed to put up a fight in the second as she went down 18-21, 7-21 in the 43-minute affair.

India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu Thursday crashed out of the Malaysia Open after losing straight sets to South Korea's Sung Ji Hyun in the second round. Sindhu fought a tight first game but failed to put up a fight in the second as she went down 18-21, 7-21 in the 43-minute affair. On Wednesday, Sindhu advanced to the second round after facing some stiff challenge from Japan's Aya Ohori in the first set but completely dominated the second set as she defeated her 22-20, 21-12. Yesterday, Saina Nehwal was knocked out of the tournament in the first round after losing to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 15-21, 10-21. The Indian challenge in the Malaysian Open now rests on Kidambi Srikanth, who will face Thailand's Khosit Phetpradab later in the day.

Malaysia Open: PV Sindhu crashes out after losing to South Korea's Sung Ji Hyun in the 2nd round

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/mamata-banerjee-a-speed-breaker-in-bengals-development-modi-in-siliguri-207693">Mamata Banerjee a 'speed breaker' in Bengal's development: PM Modi</a></p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to go for the betterment of the state. He said she was a "speed breaker" in the state's development.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi was speaking at an election rally in Siliguri in West Bengal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"'Didi' (Mamata Banerjee) is a speed breaker in the path of West Bengal's development," Modi said.</p>

<p><br />
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-snaps-4-day-winning-streak-drops-180-points-207701">Sensex snaps 4-day winning streak, drops 180 points</a></p>

<p>Breaking its four-day rising streak, the BSE Sensex dropped about 180 points Wednesday on profit booking and forecast of below-normal monsoon this year.</p>

<p>Despite a strong rally in global equities, Indian market failed to sustain at lifetime highs led by losses in oil and gas, telecom, metal and healthcare stocks.</p>

<p>After swinging nearly 450 points, the 30-share Sensex settled 179.53 points, or 0.46 per cent lower at 38,877.12.</p>

<p><br />
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/former-pakistan-intelligence-officer-who-helped-osama-bin-laden-sworn-in-as-minister-report-207692">Former Pakistani IB chief, who reportedly helped Osama bin Laden, sworn in as minister</a></p>

<p>Despite objections from the Opposition, Pakistan's former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Ijaz Shah, who reportedly helped Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, was sworn in as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs on Tuesday by President Arif Alvi here.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/former-pakistan-intelligence-officer-who-helped-osama-bin-laden-sworn-in-as-minister-report-207692">This is the photograph Sonia Gandhi wanted on Congress manifesto cover</a></p>

<p>Sonia Gandhi, after going through the Congress manifesto, suggested that the photograph published on page nine could have been used as the cover picture. The photograph showed Congress president Rahul Gandhi sitting with a group of rural women wearing ghoonghats (veils).&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/malaysia-open-saina-nehwal-knocked-out-after-losing-to-thailands-chochuwong-in-first-round-207725">Malaysia Open: Saina Nehwal knocked out in </a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/malaysia-open-saina-nehwal-knocked-out-after-losing-to-thailands-chochuwong-in-first-round-207725">first</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/malaysia-open-saina-nehwal-knocked-out-after-losing-to-thailands-chochuwong-in-first-round-207725"> round after losing to Thailand's Chochuwong</a></p>

<p>Saina Nehwal Wednesday registered a major upset as she lost to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 15-21, 10-21 in the first round of the Malaysian Open.</p>


Mamata Banerjee a 'speed breaker' in Bengal's development: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to go for the betterment of the state.

Mamata Banerjee a 'speed breaker' in Bengal's development: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to go for the betterment of the state. He said she was a "speed breaker" in the state's development. Modi was speaking at an election rally in Siliguri in West Bengal. "'Didi' (Mamata Banerjee) is a speed breaker in the path of West Bengal's development," Modi said. Sensex snaps 4-day winning streak, drops 180 points Breaking its four-day rising streak, the BSE Sensex dropped about 180 points Wednesday on profit booking and forecast of below-normal monsoon this year. Despite a strong rally in global equities, Indian market failed to sustain at lifetime highs led by losses in oil and gas, telecom, metal and healthcare stocks. After swinging nearly 450 points, the 30-share Sensex settled 179.53 points, or 0.46 per cent lower at 38,877.12. Former Pakistani IB chief, who reportedly helped Osama bin Laden, sworn in as minister Despite objections from the Opposition, Pakistan's former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Ijaz Shah, who reportedly helped Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, was sworn in as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs on Tuesday by President Arif Alvi here. This is the photograph Sonia Gandhi wanted on Congress manifesto cover Sonia Gandhi, after going through the Congress manifesto, suggested that the photograph published on page nine could have been used as the cover picture. The photograph showed Congress president Rahul Gandhi sitting with a group of rural women wearing ghoonghats (veils). Malaysia Open: Saina Nehwal knocked out in first round after losing to Thailand's Chochuwong Saina Nehwal Wednesday registered a major upset as she lost to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 15-21, 10-21 in the first round of the Malaysian Open.

News brief: Big stories of the day

<p>Saina Nehwal Wednesday registered a major upset as she lost to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 15-21, 10-21 in the first round of the Malaysian Open.</p>

<p>Saina, who withdrew from Swiss Open due to acute gastroenteritis, was playing her first game and lacked stamina.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chochuwong took just 54 minutes to beat Nehwal and advance to the second round.</p>

<p>Earlier, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/malaysian-open-pv-sindhu-kidambi-srikanth-advance-to-second-round-207720">Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round</a> in Kuala Lumpur.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Sindhu faced a stiff challenge from World no 20 Aya Ohori but surpassed her performance 22-20 21-12 to record her sixth win over the Japanese.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Srikanth defeated Indonesia’s Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21-18 21-16 in nearly 38 minutes.</p>

<p>Fifth seed Sindhu will next face Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun, while Srikanth will lock horns with Thailand’s Khosit Phetpradab on Thursday.</p>


Saina Nehwal Wednesday registered a major upset as she lost to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 15-21, 10-21 in the first round of the Malaysian Open. Saina, who withdrew from Swiss Open due to acute gastroenteritis, was playing her first game and lacked stamina.

Saina Nehwal Wednesday registered a major upset as she lost to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 15-21, 10-21 in the first round of the Malaysian Open. Saina, who withdrew from Swiss Open due to acute gastroenteritis, was playing her first game and lacked stamina. Chochuwong took just 54 minutes to beat Nehwal and advance to the second round. Earlier, Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round in Kuala Lumpur. Sindhu faced a stiff challenge from World no 20 Aya Ohori but surpassed her performance 22-20 21-12 to record her sixth win over the Japanese. Meanwhile, Srikanth defeated Indonesia’s Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21-18 21-16 in nearly 38 minutes. Fifth seed Sindhu will next face Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun, while Srikanth will lock horns with Thailand’s Khosit Phetpradab on Thursday.

Malaysia Open: Saina Nehwal knocked out in first round after losing to Thailand's Chochuwong

<p>Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round of the Malaysian Open tournament in Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Sindhu faced a stiff challenge from World no 20 Aya Ohori but surpassed her performance 22-20 21-12 to record her sixth win over the Japanese.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Srikanth defeated Indonesia’s Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21-18 21-16 in nearly 38 minutes.</p>

<p>Fifth seed Sindhu will next face Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun, while Srikanth will lock horns with Thailand’s Khosit Phetpradab on Thursday.</p>

<p>HS Prannoy, who had reached the quarterfinals last week in New Delhi, however, bowed out after losing 12-21 21-16 21-14 to Sitthikom Thammasin of Thailand following a hard-fought battle.</p>

<p>With Sameer Verma too crashing out in the opening round, Srikanth is the only Indian in the fray in men’s singles.</p>


Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round of the Malaysian Open tournament in Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday. Sindhu faced a stiff challenge from World no 20 Aya Ohori but surpassed her performance 22-20 21-12 to record her sixth win over the Japanese.

Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round of the Malaysian Open tournament in Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday. Sindhu faced a stiff challenge from World no 20 Aya Ohori but surpassed her performance 22-20 21-12 to record her sixth win over the Japanese. Meanwhile, Srikanth defeated Indonesia’s Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21-18 21-16 in nearly 38 minutes. Fifth seed Sindhu will next face Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun, while Srikanth will lock horns with Thailand’s Khosit Phetpradab on Thursday. HS Prannoy, who had reached the quarterfinals last week in New Delhi, however, bowed out after losing 12-21 21-16 21-14 to Sitthikom Thammasin of Thailand following a hard-fought battle. With Sameer Verma too crashing out in the opening round, Srikanth is the only Indian in the fray in men’s singles.

Malaysia Open: PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth advance to second round

<p>Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal Wednesday pulled out of the Indian Open BWF World Tour Super 500 which begins here Tuesday, after failing to recover from an acute gastroenteritis problem.</p>

<p>Saina, who turned 29 last Monday, had played through pain during the All England Championships after suffering from an acute gastroenteritis and mild pancreatitis ahead of the tournament.</p>

<p>She was forced to withdraw from Swiss Open last week and was admitted to hospital for treatment.</p>

<p>On Wednesday, Saina informed Badminton Association of India (BAI) about her decision to withdraw from the USD 350,000 tournament on medical grounds.</p>

<p>"She has not been well since the All England Championship. She sent the letter to withdraw citing stomach pain," a BAI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.</p>

<p>Last week, Saina, who had reached the quarter-finals of the All England Championship, had broken the news that she was advised to get admitted to get treated for her illness.</p>

<p>"So some sad news was really going through acute stomach pain from last Monday... Managed to play few matches in All England with lot of pain ... Decided to skip Swiss open and come back to India and find out the issue," she had written in her social media account.</p>

<p><br />
"... And I found out it's acute gastroenteritis with mild pancreatitis and the doctors have recommended me to get admitted and hopefully I recover soon out of it."</p>

<p>Saina had won the India Open women's singles title in 2015. Olympic silver medallist and former champion P V Sindhu will now be India's only title contender in women's singles.&nbsp;</p>


Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal Wednesday pulled out of the Indian Open BWF World Tour Super 500 which begins here Tuesday, after failing to recover from an acute gastroenteritis problem.

Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal Wednesday pulled out of the Indian Open BWF World Tour Super 500 which begins here Tuesday, after failing to recover from an acute gastroenteritis problem. Saina, who turned 29 last Monday, had played through pain during the All England Championships after suffering from an acute gastroenteritis and mild pancreatitis ahead of the tournament. She was forced to withdraw from Swiss Open last week and was admitted to hospital for treatment. On Wednesday, Saina informed Badminton Association of India (BAI) about her decision to withdraw from the USD 350,000 tournament on medical grounds. "She has not been well since the All England Championship. She sent the letter to withdraw citing stomach pain," a BAI official told PTI on condition of anonymity. Last week, Saina, who had reached the quarter-finals of the All England Championship, had broken the news that she was advised to get admitted to get treated for her illness. "So some sad news was really going through acute stomach pain from last Monday... Managed to play few matches in All England with lot of pain ... Decided to skip Swiss open and come back to India and find out the issue," she had written in her social media account. "... And I found out it's acute gastroenteritis with mild pancreatitis and the doctors have recommended me to get admitted and hopefully I recover soon out of it." Saina had won the India Open women's singles title in 2015. Olympic silver medallist and former champion P V Sindhu will now be India's only title contender in women's singles.

Saina Nehwal withdraws from India Open

<p>India's badminton star Saina Nehwal Friday lost to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei 15-21 19-21 in her quarter-final match to crash out of the All England Open Badminton Championships.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is Saina's 13th consecutive loss to Tai Tzu Ying.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth has advanced to the second round by beating French Brice Leverdez 21-13, 21-11 on Wednesday.</p>

<p>PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy’s campaign had ended in the first round of All England Badminton Championship.</p>

<p>Premier shuttler PV Sindhu was knocked out in the first round after she lost 16-21, 22-20, 18-21 to unseeded Sung Ji Hyun.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The marathon contest between fifth seed Sindhu and the South Korean lasted for an hour and 21 minutes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, HS Prannoy’s campaign ended on a disappointing note as he lost a closely fought contest 19-21, 19-21 to compatriot Sai Praneeth in the first round.</p>


India's badminton star Saina Nehwal Friday lost to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei 15-21 19-21 in her quarter-final match to crash out of the All England Open Badminton Championships.

India's badminton star Saina Nehwal Friday lost to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei 15-21 19-21 in her quarter-final match to crash out of the All England Open Badminton Championships. This is Saina's 13th consecutive loss to Tai Tzu Ying. Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth has advanced to the second round by beating French Brice Leverdez 21-13, 21-11 on Wednesday. PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy’s campaign had ended in the first round of All England Badminton Championship. Premier shuttler PV Sindhu was knocked out in the first round after she lost 16-21, 22-20, 18-21 to unseeded Sung Ji Hyun. The marathon contest between fifth seed Sindhu and the South Korean lasted for an hour and 21 minutes. Meanwhile, HS Prannoy’s campaign ended on a disappointing note as he lost a closely fought contest 19-21, 19-21 to compatriot Sai Praneeth in the first round.

Saina Nehwal loses quarter-final to Chinese Taipai, crashes out of All England Championships

<p>A challenging draw stands in the way but India's top shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will nonetheless fancy their chances of ending a nearly two-decade-old title jinx at the All England Championship starting Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was Sindhu and Saina's mentor and current chief national coach P Gopichand, who was the last Indian to win the championship back in 2001.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Only the top 32 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings qualify for the tournament and out of them, only three Indians have been seeded -- the third being Kidambi Srikanth (seeded seventh) in the men's event.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Fifth-seeded Olympic and world championship silver-medallist Sindhu will square off against former world no 2 Sung Ji Hyun of South Korea at the USD one million event.&nbsp;</p>

<p>London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina, seeded eighth, will start her campaign against Scotland's Kristy Gilmour.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The star shuttlers have had contrasting results against their first-round opponents.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While Saina enjoys a 6-0 overall record against Gilmour, Sindhu has been troubled by Sung Ji but leads 8-6 in their previous 14 encounters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sung Ji defeated Sindhu twice in three meetings last year and if the Indian can put it past the Korean, she will run into either Russian Evgeniya Kosetskaya or Hong Kong's Cheung Ngan Yi in the second round.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A favourable result will then pit Sindhu against third-seeded Chinese youngster, Chen Yufei in the quarterfinals.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Indian had lost to Chen at the 2018 China Open and will be wary of the Chinese despite enjoying a 4-3 head-to-head record.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Each round will be comparatively tough. Each point is important to me.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I am playing Sung Ji Hyun in the first round and it would be important for me to focus from the first round," said the 23-year-old, who had reached the semifinals in the last edition.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While Sindhu has been in red-hot form last season, claiming silver medals at all major events, former world no. 1 Saina remains the only Indian to come close to winning the prestigious title, finishing runners-up in 2015.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The seasoned Hyderabadi enjoyed a good start to the year, winning the title at the Indonesia Masters in January and getting the better of Sindhu in the national finals to claim the crown.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saina, who turns 29 on March 17, will face either Denmark's Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt or China's Cai Yanyan if she happens to win the first round.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While Saina has an edge over the Dane, she has never faced the 19-year-old Chinese player before.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The vastly experienced Indian is expected to cross at least the second round and is likely to face her nemesis Tai Tzu Ying, against whom she has lost 12 consecutive times.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Chinese Taipei shuttler enjoys an overall head-to-head record of 14-5 against Saina.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the men's event, Srikanth will take on Frenchman Brice Leverdez in the opening round while an in-form Sameer Verma will start against former world champion and world no.1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After a poor 2018, Srikanth had a decent outing in Malaysia and Indonesia, reaching the quarterfinals. He would look to find his best form during the week.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sameer, who had reached the knockout stage of the World Tour Finals, will be playing his first BWF event of the season.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Among others, B Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy will face each other in the opening round.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While Praneeth would be hungry to put his Senior Nationals' disappointment behind him, Prannoy has been battling with a breathing problem triggered by a Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD). He would be eager to put on a good show before leaving for his medical treatment in the US.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chief coach Gopichand has already pinned his hopes on Saina, Sindhu and Srikanth. He feels the trio has what it takes to end the country's 18-year wait for the prestigious trophy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We have had good performances from Saina, Sindhu and Srikanth has also been in good form. I do expect that we will have a good performance at this year's All-England," Gopichand had said last month.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Three-time world champion Carolina Marin, who is undergoing physiotherapy after rupturing the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in her right knee during the Indonesia Masters final, will be also among the ones to watch out for in the singles' draw.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnapa &amp; N Sikki Reddy will play the seventh-seeded Japanese pair Shiho Tanaka and Koharu Yonemoto, while Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram will square off against Russia's Ekaterina Bolotova and Alina Davletova.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In men's doubles, former National champion Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will face China's Ou Xuanyi and Ren Xiangyu in the first round.&nbsp;</p>


A challenging draw stands in the way but India's top shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will nonetheless fancy their chances of ending a nearly two-decade-old title jinx at the All England Championship starting Wednesday.

A challenging draw stands in the way but India's top shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will nonetheless fancy their chances of ending a nearly two-decade-old title jinx at the All England Championship starting Wednesday. It was Sindhu and Saina's mentor and current chief national coach P Gopichand, who was the last Indian to win the championship back in 2001. Only the top 32 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings qualify for the tournament and out of them, only three Indians have been seeded -- the third being Kidambi Srikanth (seeded seventh) in the men's event. Fifth-seeded Olympic and world championship silver-medallist Sindhu will square off against former world no 2 Sung Ji Hyun of South Korea at the USD one million event. London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina, seeded eighth, will start her campaign against Scotland's Kristy Gilmour. The star shuttlers have had contrasting results against their first-round opponents. While Saina enjoys a 6-0 overall record against Gilmour, Sindhu has been troubled by Sung Ji but leads 8-6 in their previous 14 encounters. Sung Ji defeated Sindhu twice in three meetings last year and if the Indian can put it past the Korean, she will run into either Russian Evgeniya Kosetskaya or Hong Kong's Cheung Ngan Yi in the second round. A favourable result will then pit Sindhu against third-seeded Chinese youngster, Chen Yufei in the quarterfinals. The Indian had lost to Chen at the 2018 China Open and will be wary of the Chinese despite enjoying a 4-3 head-to-head record. "Each round will be comparatively tough. Each point is important to me. I am playing Sung Ji Hyun in the first round and it would be important for me to focus from the first round," said the 23-year-old, who had reached the semifinals in the last edition. While Sindhu has been in red-hot form last season, claiming silver medals at all major events, former world no. 1 Saina remains the only Indian to come close to winning the prestigious title, finishing runners-up in 2015. The seasoned Hyderabadi enjoyed a good start to the year, winning the title at the Indonesia Masters in January and getting the better of Sindhu in the national finals to claim the crown. Saina, who turns 29 on March 17, will face either Denmark's Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt or China's Cai Yanyan if she happens to win the first round. While Saina has an edge over the Dane, she has never faced the 19-year-old Chinese player before. The vastly experienced Indian is expected to cross at least the second round and is likely to face her nemesis Tai Tzu Ying, against whom she has lost 12 consecutive times. The Chinese Taipei shuttler enjoys an overall head-to-head record of 14-5 against Saina. In the men's event, Srikanth will take on Frenchman Brice Leverdez in the opening round while an in-form Sameer Verma will start against former world champion and world no.1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. After a poor 2018, Srikanth had a decent outing in Malaysia and Indonesia, reaching the quarterfinals. He would look to find his best form during the week. Sameer, who had reached the knockout stage of the World Tour Finals, will be playing his first BWF event of the season. Among others, B Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy will face each other in the opening round. While Praneeth would be hungry to put his Senior Nationals' disappointment behind him, Prannoy has been battling with a breathing problem triggered by a Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD). He would be eager to put on a good show before leaving for his medical treatment in the US. Chief coach Gopichand has already pinned his hopes on Saina, Sindhu and Srikanth. He feels the trio has what it takes to end the country's 18-year wait for the prestigious trophy. "We have had good performances from Saina, Sindhu and Srikanth has also been in good form. I do expect that we will have a good performance at this year's All-England," Gopichand had said last month. Three-time world champion Carolina Marin, who is undergoing physiotherapy after rupturing the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in her right knee during the Indonesia Masters final, will be also among the ones to watch out for in the singles' draw. In women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnapa & N Sikki Reddy will play the seventh-seeded Japanese pair Shiho Tanaka and Koharu Yonemoto, while Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram will square off against Russia's Ekaterina Bolotova and Alina Davletova. In men's doubles, former National champion Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will face China's Ou Xuanyi and Ren Xiangyu in the first round.

All England Championship: PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal aim to break 18-year-old jinx

<p>India woke up to the news that the Indian Air Force had launched a pre-emptive airstrike across the Line of Control (LOC) early on Tuesday, and destroyed several terror camps set up near the borderline.</p>

<p>Twelve Mirage 2000 fighter jets dropped 1,000 kg bombs on the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed camps.</p>

<p>The airstrike comes just twelve days after the deadliest terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's three-decade of militancy, at Pulwama, in which at least 40 CRPF personnel were killed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Following the news, Indian citizens celebrated the reply given to Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Several big sports personalities including Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Mahesh Bhupathi, Saina Nehwal and others also took to Twitter to praise the IAF.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Big salute to our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianAirForce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianAirForce</a> 🙏🇮🇳.... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaStrikesBack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaStrikesBack</a> .. Jai Hind</p>
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/1100274981974335489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our niceness should never be comprehended as our weakness.<br />
I salute the IAF, Jai Hind 🇮🇳</p>
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) <a href="https://twitter.com/sachin_rt/status/1100318212846161920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">INDIA 🇮🇳 💪 👊👊👊 <a href="https://twitter.com/IAF_MCC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IAF_MCC</a> PROUD OF YOU AS ALWAYS <a href="https://t.co/1eARl98egz">pic.twitter.com/1eARl98egz</a></p>
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) <a href="https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1100329234638217216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Saluting the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianAirForce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianAirForce</a> fighters for their valor, courage and timely action. 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/CNPmH28mnz">https://t.co/CNPmH28mnz</a></p>
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) <a href="https://twitter.com/SDhawan25/status/1100298585046962176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My salute to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IAF?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IAF</a> for showing great courage in the face of adversity. A fitting reply to cowardice! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JaiHind?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JaiHind</a> 🇮🇳</p>
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRaina/status/1100293010443698176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hats off to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianAirForce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianAirForce</a> for their strike against terror. Every Indian is proud of you! Jai Hind! 🇮🇳<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaStrikesBack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaStrikesBack</a></p>
— Kidambi Srikanth (@srikidambi) <a href="https://twitter.com/srikidambi/status/1100284211339059200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Badiyaaaaa <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianAirforce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianAirforce</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaStrikesAgain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaStrikesAgain</a> 💪😼</p>
— PRANNOY HS (@PRANNOYHSPRI) <a href="https://twitter.com/PRANNOYHSPRI/status/1100291048545366016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>India struck the biggest camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and a "very large number" of terrorists were eliminated, said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.</p>


India woke up to the news that the Indian Air Force had launched a pre-emptive airstrike across the Line of Control (LOC) early on Tuesday, and destroyed several terror camps set up near the borderline.

India woke up to the news that the Indian Air Force had launched a pre-emptive airstrike across the Line of Control (LOC) early on Tuesday, and destroyed several terror camps set up near the borderline. Twelve Mirage 2000 fighter jets dropped 1,000 kg bombs on the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed camps. The airstrike comes just twelve days after the deadliest terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's three-decade of militancy, at Pulwama, in which at least 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Following the news, Indian citizens celebrated the reply given to Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists. Several big sports personalities including Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Mahesh Bhupathi, Saina Nehwal and others also took to Twitter to praise the IAF. Big salute to our #IndianAirForce 🙏🇮🇳.... #IndiaStrikesBack .. Jai Hind — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) February 26, 2019 × Our niceness should never be comprehended as our weakness. I salute the IAF, Jai Hind 🇮🇳 — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 26, 2019 × INDIA 🇮🇳 💪 👊👊👊 @IAF_MCC PROUD OF YOU AS ALWAYS pic.twitter.com/1eARl98egz — Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) February 26, 2019 × Saluting the #IndianAirForce fighters for their valor, courage and timely action. 🙏 https://t.co/CNPmH28mnz — Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) February 26, 2019 × My salute to #IAF for showing great courage in the face of adversity. A fitting reply to cowardice! #JaiHind 🇮🇳 — Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) February 26, 2019 × Hats off to the #IndianAirForce for their strike against terror. Every Indian is proud of you! Jai Hind! 🇮🇳#IndiaStrikesBack — Kidambi Srikanth (@srikidambi) February 26, 2019 × Badiyaaaaa #IndianAirforce #IndiaStrikesAgain 💪😼 — PRANNOY HS (@PRANNOYHSPRI) February 26, 2019 × India struck the biggest camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and a "very large number" of terrorists were eliminated, said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

Sportspersons salute Indian Air Force after strike on terror camps in Pakistan

<p>Saina Nehwal beat PV Sindhu in straight games in the marquee clash of the tournament to retain her women's singles crown at the 83rd Yonex Sunrise Senior Badminton Nationals here Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The three-time former champion Saina used her powerful smashes to telling effect, registering a 21-18,&nbsp;21-15 win against Sindhu, a two-time winner, in the summit clash.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a repeat of last edition's final in Nagpur, 2012 Olympics bronze medallist Saina once again had the upper hand over Sindhu during the exciting clash which was witnessed by a capacity crowd at the TRP Indoor stadium here.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saina had also defeated 2016 Rio Games silver medallist Sindhu at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games summit clash last year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier, Sourabh Verma completed a hat-trick of titles at the Senior Badminton Nationals, claiming the men's singles crown by defeating young Lakshya Sen in straight games.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 26-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, who had won the title in 2011 and 2017, showed great composure and tactical brilliance to outplay 17-year-old Lakshya, an Asian junior champion, 21-18 21-13 in a lop-sided contest.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was their second meeting at the Senior Nationals final, following Sourabh's triumph over Lakshya, 15 then, in February 2017.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>In men's doubles, second-seeded makeshift pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Chirag Shetty clinched the title after beating top seeds Arjun MR and Shlok Ramchandran 21-13 22-20 in 33 minutes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chirag and Pranaav came together after the former's regular partner Satwik Rankireddy was sidelined ahead of the tournament due to an injury. Satwik and Chirag had finished runners-up at the last edition.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For Pranaav, it is his third national title, having won the men's doubles crown along with Akshay Dewalkar in 2013 and 2015 and the mixed doubles title with Prajakta Sawant in 2010.&nbsp;</p>


Saina Nehwal beat PV Sindhu in straight games in the marquee clash of the tournament to retain her women's singles crown at the 83rd Yonex Sunrise Senior Badminton Nationals here Saturday.

Saina Nehwal beat PV Sindhu in straight games in the marquee clash of the tournament to retain her women's singles crown at the 83rd Yonex Sunrise Senior Badminton Nationals here Saturday. The three-time former champion Saina used her powerful smashes to telling effect, registering a 21-18, 21-15 win against Sindhu, a two-time winner, in the summit clash. In a repeat of last edition's final in Nagpur, 2012 Olympics bronze medallist Saina once again had the upper hand over Sindhu during the exciting clash which was witnessed by a capacity crowd at the TRP Indoor stadium here. Saina had also defeated 2016 Rio Games silver medallist Sindhu at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games summit clash last year. Earlier, Sourabh Verma completed a hat-trick of titles at the Senior Badminton Nationals, claiming the men's singles crown by defeating young Lakshya Sen in straight games. The 26-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, who had won the title in 2011 and 2017, showed great composure and tactical brilliance to outplay 17-year-old Lakshya, an Asian junior champion, 21-18 21-13 in a lop-sided contest. It was their second meeting at the Senior Nationals final, following Sourabh's triumph over Lakshya, 15 then, in February 2017. In men's doubles, second-seeded makeshift pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Chirag Shetty clinched the title after beating top seeds Arjun MR and Shlok Ramchandran 21-13 22-20 in 33 minutes. Chirag and Pranaav came together after the former's regular partner Satwik Rankireddy was sidelined ahead of the tournament due to an injury. Satwik and Chirag had finished runners-up at the last edition. For Pranaav, it is his third national title, having won the men's doubles crown along with Akshay Dewalkar in 2013 and 2015 and the mixed doubles title with Prajakta Sawant in 2010.

Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to retain nationals crown, Sourabh claims third title

<p>It is the season of biopics. After the success of 'Sanju' several filmmakers have announced plans to make biopics. Now, the latest to add to the list in a film on Tennis star Sania Mirza's life. &nbsp;Sania on Friday announced that a biopic on her will be made by Bollywood filmmaker Ronnie Screwvala.<br />
<br />
Sania said she has signed a contract for the biopic and the initial work has already begun.<br />
<br />
"It's great. The talks have been going on for a while. The contract was signed. We are just looking forward to it," Sania said on the sidelines of an event.<br />
Sania, the only Indian woman tennis player to win a Grand Slam title (in doubles), said the making of the biopic was in the initial stages.<br />
<br />
"It's all going to be mutual understanding. I think that obviously my input is important. Because, it's my story. So, I will have to.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
"We are literally in the very initial stages. So, we just announced it today. It will slowly get into the director, the writing, after that the casting. It's still a bit long way to go," she said when asked how she wished the film to come out and her inputs for the film.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Sania's biopic will add to earlier biographical films on sports stars like 'Mary Kom', 'Dangal', 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' and 'MS Dhoni'.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&nbsp;Biopics on Saina Nehwal and Abhinav Bindra are also being made. while Shraddha Kapoor is essaying the Badminton star on screen, Harshvardhan Kapoor will be essaying Bindra on the big screen</p>


It is the season of biopics. After the success of 'Sanju' several filmmakers have announced plans to make biopics. Now, the latest to add to the list in a film on Tennis star Sania Mirza's life.

It is the season of biopics. After the success of 'Sanju' several filmmakers have announced plans to make biopics. Now, the latest to add to the list in a film on Tennis star Sania Mirza's life. Sania on Friday announced that a biopic on her will be made by Bollywood filmmaker Ronnie Screwvala. Sania said she has signed a contract for the biopic and the initial work has already begun. "It's great. The talks have been going on for a while. The contract was signed. We are just looking forward to it," Sania said on the sidelines of an event. Sania, the only Indian woman tennis player to win a Grand Slam title (in doubles), said the making of the biopic was in the initial stages. "It's all going to be mutual understanding. I think that obviously my input is important. Because, it's my story. So, I will have to. "We are literally in the very initial stages. So, we just announced it today. It will slowly get into the director, the writing, after that the casting. It's still a bit long way to go," she said when asked how she wished the film to come out and her inputs for the film. Sania's biopic will add to earlier biographical films on sports stars like 'Mary Kom', 'Dangal', 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' and 'MS Dhoni'. Biopics on Saina Nehwal and Abhinav Bindra are also being made. while Shraddha Kapoor is essaying the Badminton star on screen, Harshvardhan Kapoor will be essaying Bindra on the big screen

After Saina Nehwal , biopic on Sania Mirza announced

Lakme Fashion Week 2019: Yami Gautam, Karan Johar, Tabu and others walk the ramp

<p>Spain's Olympic badminton gold medallist Carolina Marin is a doubt for the world championships in August after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.</p>

<p>The 25-year-old, a winner of three of the past four world titles, hurt herself in Sunday's <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/saina-nehwal-wins-indonesia-masters-after-opponent-carolina-retires-hurt-193147">Indonesia Masters final</a> and was forced to retire while leading Saina Nehwal of India.</p>

<p>The Spanish badminton federation said Marin would undergo surgery on Tuesday and start rehab next week for an injury that typically requires a recovery period of at least six months.</p>

<p>That timetable would leave her facing a race against time to be fit to defend her title in Basel, Switzerland, from August 19 to 25.</p>


Spain's Olympic badminton gold medallist Carolina Marin is a doubt for the world championships in August after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

Spain's Olympic badminton gold medallist Carolina Marin is a doubt for the world championships in August after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. The 25-year-old, a winner of three of the past four world titles, hurt herself in Sunday's Indonesia Masters final and was forced to retire while leading Saina Nehwal of India. The Spanish badminton federation said Marin would undergo surgery on Tuesday and start rehab next week for an injury that typically requires a recovery period of at least six months. That timetable would leave her facing a race against time to be fit to defend her title in Basel, Switzerland, from August 19 to 25.

Olympic and world badminton champ Carolina Marin ruptures knee ligament

<p>India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday clinched the Indonesia Masters 2019 after opponent Carolina Marin was forced to retire dhe to a knee injury.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nehwal scripted history after Spanish professional suffered an injury in her right thigh, which exaggerated to a point where she had to leave the contest midway.</p>

<p>At the time of injury, Marin was leading 10-4.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is Saina's first BWF title in two years as she last won a title in 2017 in Malaysia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaking on her victory and Marin's injury, Saina said, "It is important year for all of us. This was not good at all. She is a tough competitor, she started off well and it is unfortunate what happened today." said Saina,&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saina had won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, a bronze at the Asian Games, besides reaching finals at Denmark, Indonesia Masters and Syed Modi International.</p>


India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday clinched the Indonesia Masters 2019 after opponent Carolina Marin was forced to retire dhe to a knee injury. Nehwal scripted history after Spanish professional suffered an injury in her right thigh, which exaggerated to a point where she had to leave the contest midway.

India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday clinched the Indonesia Masters 2019 after opponent Carolina Marin was forced to retire dhe to a knee injury. Nehwal scripted history after Spanish professional suffered an injury in her right thigh, which exaggerated to a point where she had to leave the contest midway. At the time of injury, Marin was leading 10-4. This is Saina's first BWF title in two years as she last won a title in 2017 in Malaysia. Speaking on her victory and Marin's injury, Saina said, "It is important year for all of us. This was not good at all. She is a tough competitor, she started off well and it is unfortunate what happened today." said Saina, Saina had won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, a bronze at the Asian Games, besides reaching finals at Denmark, Indonesia Masters and Syed Modi International.

Saina Nehwal wins Indonesia Masters after opponent Carolina retires hurt

<p>Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday crashed out of the Malaysia Masters 2019 after losing 16-21, 13-21 to Carolina Marin of Spain in the women's singles semifinals at the Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nehwal was dominated by the three-time world champion Carolina throughout the 40-minute contest.</p>

<p>The former World No1 entered the semi-final after scripting a straight-game win over Japan's Nozomi Okuhara.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Seventh-seeded Saina, who had 8-4 head-to-head record against Okuhara before Friday, fought back from 9-15 and 14-18 down in the two games to extend her dominance over the second-seeded Japanese with a 21-18 23-21 win in a 48-minute quarterfinal.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, India's male shuttler Kidambi Srikanth suffered an exit from the USD 350,000 event. Srikanth squandered a one-game advantage to go down 23-21 16-21 17-21 to fourth seed Korean Son Wan Ho in the men's singles quarterfinals that lasted an hour and 12 minutes.</p>


Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday crashed out of the Malaysia Masters 2019 after losing 16-21, 13-21 to Carolina Marin of Spain in the women's singles semifinals at the Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur.

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday crashed out of the Malaysia Masters 2019 after losing 16-21, 13-21 to Carolina Marin of Spain in the women's singles semifinals at the Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur. Nehwal was dominated by the three-time world champion Carolina throughout the 40-minute contest. The former World No1 entered the semi-final after scripting a straight-game win over Japan's Nozomi Okuhara. Seventh-seeded Saina, who had 8-4 head-to-head record against Okuhara before Friday, fought back from 9-15 and 14-18 down in the two games to extend her dominance over the second-seeded Japanese with a 21-18 23-21 win in a 48-minute quarterfinal. Meanwhile, India's male shuttler Kidambi Srikanth suffered an exit from the USD 350,000 event. Srikanth squandered a one-game advantage to go down 23-21 16-21 17-21 to fourth seed Korean Son Wan Ho in the men's singles quarterfinals that lasted an hour and 12 minutes.

Saina Nehwal loses to Carolina Marin in semi-final of Malaysia Masters

<p>Shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap got married on Friday. Nehwal made an announcement about the same on Twitter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nehwal took to Twitter and posted pictures with her better half, captioning it, "Best match of my life #justmarried."</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Best match of my life ❤️...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/justmarried?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#justmarried</a> ☺️ <a href="https://t.co/cCNJwqcjI5">pic.twitter.com/cCNJwqcjI5</a></p>
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/1073543794199384064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Earlier, reports suggested that the ace badminton stars were due to tie the knot on December 16 in Hyderabad.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;Kashyap on Thursday posted pictures of him performing some rituals along with his family members.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrUFbHoAiFl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:16px;">
<div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 19% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrUFbHoAiFl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div>

<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrUFbHoAiFl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrUFbHoAiFl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#jeelakarrabellam #odugu</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/parupallikashyap/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Parupalli Kashyap</a> (@parupallikashyap) on <time datetime="2018-12-13T04:18:24+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Dec 12, 2018 at 8:18pm PST</time></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>In an interview previously, Nehwal had briefly touched upon her relationship with Kashyap revealing that the bond goes almost a decade back. As per reports, the players had their interaction while training under Pullela Gopichand over a decade ago in 2005.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"In the competitive world that we live in, it is difficult to get close to someone. But somehow we both found it very easy to talk to each other," <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/indian-badminton-star-nehwal-to-wed-kashyap-in-december-170154">Saina told</a> a leading newspaper earlier this year.</p>

<p>The 28-year-old said she had started dating Kashyap, 32, in 2007 after they began going on tours together but delayed the marriage in order to focus on their careers.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap got married on Friday. Nehwal made an announcement about the same on Twitter. Nehwal took to Twitter and posted pictures with her better half, captioning it, "Best match of my life #justmarried.

Shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap got married on Friday. Nehwal made an announcement about the same on Twitter. Nehwal took to Twitter and posted pictures with her better half, captioning it, "Best match of my life #justmarried." Best match of my life ❤️...#justmarried ☺️ pic.twitter.com/cCNJwqcjI5 — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) December 14, 2018 × Earlier, reports suggested that the ace badminton stars were due to tie the knot on December 16 in Hyderabad. Kashyap on Thursday posted pictures of him performing some rituals along with his family members. View this post on Instagram #jeelakarrabellam #odugu A post shared by Parupalli Kashyap (@parupallikashyap) on Dec 12, 2018 at 8:18pm PST × In an interview previously, Nehwal had briefly touched upon her relationship with Kashyap revealing that the bond goes almost a decade back. As per reports, the players had their interaction while training under Pullela Gopichand over a decade ago in 2005. "In the competitive world that we live in, it is difficult to get close to someone. But somehow we both found it very easy to talk to each other," Saina told a leading newspaper earlier this year. The 28-year-old said she had started dating Kashyap, 32, in 2007 after they began going on tours together but delayed the marriage in order to focus on their careers.

'Best match of my life', tweets Saina Nehwal after her wedding with Parupalli Kashyap

<p>India's star shuttler PV Sindhu defeated&nbsp;Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol by registering 21-15, 13-21, 21-17 win in a contest that lasted less than an hour to advance into the second round.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 23-year-old shuttler lost the second game but showed her character to win the third and deciding round to set up a clash with Sung Ji Hyun of Korea.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal, who claimed a second Commonwealth Games gold and a bronze at the Asian Games this season, was outclassed by formidable Akane Yamaguchi 21-10, 10-21, 19-21.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a tightly fought contest, Saina won the first game comprehensively but the second-seeded Japanese came back strongly to win the second game and take the match for the decider.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The duo challenged each other in the final game but Saina lost it by a margin of two points to bow out of the tournament.</p>

<p>Sindhu will now be carrying India's challenge in the Women's Singles. If she managed to beat her opponent in the second round then she is likely to face China's He Bingjiao in the quarterfinals, an opponent who has defeated her three times in 2018.</p>


India's star shuttler PV Sindhu defeated Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol by registering 21-15, 13-21, 21-17 win in a contest that lasted less than an hour to advance into the second round.

India's star shuttler PV Sindhu defeated Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol by registering 21-15, 13-21, 21-17 win in a contest that lasted less than an hour to advance into the second round. The 23-year-old shuttler lost the second game but showed her character to win the third and deciding round to set up a clash with Sung Ji Hyun of Korea. Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal, who claimed a second Commonwealth Games gold and a bronze at the Asian Games this season, was outclassed by formidable Akane Yamaguchi 21-10, 10-21, 19-21. In a tightly fought contest, Saina won the first game comprehensively but the second-seeded Japanese came back strongly to win the second game and take the match for the decider. The duo challenged each other in the final game but Saina lost it by a margin of two points to bow out of the tournament. Sindhu will now be carrying India's challenge in the Women's Singles. If she managed to beat her opponent in the second round then she is likely to face China's He Bingjiao in the quarterfinals, an opponent who has defeated her three times in 2018.

Hong Kong Open: Sindhu outclasses Thai's Jindapol; Nehwal makes first-round exit

<p>India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal lost the final of the Denmark Open to top-seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei on Sunday.</p>

<p>The former World No. 1 lost the first game 13-21. She made&nbsp;a strong comeback in the second game (21-13), only to surrender tamely in the final game (6-21).</p>

<p>The match lasted a little under 52 minutes.</p>

<p>This is the eleventh consecutive time Tai Tzu Ying has beaten Saina.</p>

<p>Saina won the Denmark open back in 2012.</p>


India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal lost the final of the Denmark Open to top-seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei on Sunday. The former World No. 1 lost the first game 13-21.

India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal lost the final of the Denmark Open to top-seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei on Sunday. The former World No. 1 lost the first game 13-21. She made a strong comeback in the second game (21-13), only to surrender tamely in the final game (6-21). The match lasted a little under 52 minutes. This is the eleventh consecutive time Tai Tzu Ying has beaten Saina. Saina won the Denmark open back in 2012.

Denmark Open: Saina Nehwal loses final to Taiwan's Tai Tzu Ying

<p>India's Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth stormed into the semifinals of the Denmark Open with hard-fought victories over Nozomi Okuhara and Sameer Verma respectively.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saina, ranked 10th, recovered after the losing the first game to beat familiar foe and world number seven Okuhura of Japan 17-21, 21-16, 21-12 in the quarter-final lasting 58 minutes on Friday night.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The final point of the match was a long rally which ended with the Japanese finding the net. It was a morale-boosting for the Indian star, having lost her previous three meetings to Okuhara including the most recent one in Korea last month.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saina had also lost to the 2017 World Champion during the team event at the Asian Games in August.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Overall, their head-to-head record stands at 7-4 in the Indian's favour. Saina next faces world number 19 Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Fellow Indian Srikanth too had to dig deep against countryman Verma with little separating the two in an intense men's singles quarter-final.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the end, world number six Srikanth prevailed over the 23-ranked Indian in an epic battle lasting an hour and 18 minutes with the final scoreline reading 22-20, 19-21, 23-21.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two Indians had not played each prior the quarter-final and their first meeting turned out to be a slugfest. Verma was leading for the major part of the third and deciding game where he even had a 17-13 lead before Srikanth scripted a remarkable fightback to scrape through.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Srikanth plays second seed and world number one Kento Momota of Japan in the semi-final to be held later on Saturday. The formidable Japanese enjoys an 8-3 career record over Srikanth and has not lost to the Indian in their last five meetings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy's spirited campaign came to an end with a loss to top seeds, Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, in the quarter-finals.</p>


India's Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth stormed into the semifinals of the Denmark Open with hard-fought victories over Nozomi Okuhara and Sameer Verma respectively.

India's Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth stormed into the semifinals of the Denmark Open with hard-fought victories over Nozomi Okuhara and Sameer Verma respectively. Saina, ranked 10th, recovered after the losing the first game to beat familiar foe and world number seven Okuhura of Japan 17-21, 21-16, 21-12 in the quarter-final lasting 58 minutes on Friday night. The final point of the match was a long rally which ended with the Japanese finding the net. It was a morale-boosting for the Indian star, having lost her previous three meetings to Okuhara including the most recent one in Korea last month. Saina had also lost to the 2017 World Champion during the team event at the Asian Games in August. Overall, their head-to-head record stands at 7-4 in the Indian's favour. Saina next faces world number 19 Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia. Fellow Indian Srikanth too had to dig deep against countryman Verma with little separating the two in an intense men's singles quarter-final. In the end, world number six Srikanth prevailed over the 23-ranked Indian in an epic battle lasting an hour and 18 minutes with the final scoreline reading 22-20, 19-21, 23-21. The two Indians had not played each prior the quarter-final and their first meeting turned out to be a slugfest. Verma was leading for the major part of the third and deciding game where he even had a 17-13 lead before Srikanth scripted a remarkable fightback to scrape through. Srikanth plays second seed and world number one Kento Momota of Japan in the semi-final to be held later on Saturday. The formidable Japanese enjoys an 8-3 career record over Srikanth and has not lost to the Indian in their last five meetings. In the women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy's spirited campaign came to an end with a loss to top seeds, Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, in the quarter-finals.

Saina, Srikanth storm into semis of Denmark Open

<p>India's star shuttler and former world number one Saina Nehwal is to marry fellow badminton player Parupalli Kashyap on December 16.</p>

<p>Recently, she had confirmed the same to a leading newspaper, saying the time was right to exchange marriage vows.</p>

<p>"In the competitive world that we live in, it is difficult to get close to someone. But somehow we both found it very easy to talk to each other," told Saina.</p>

<p>She also explained that why the couple remained tight-lipped even after the rumours had been swirling about their love affair.</p>

<p>The 28-year-old said she had started dating Kashyap, 32, in 2007 after they began going on tours together but delayed the marriage in order to focus on their careers.</p>

<p>Nehwal said she did not have to break the news to her parents as they had sensed it already.</p>

<p>"I didn't have to tell them. We used to be together most of the time and my parents also travelled with me, so they understood who I was close to."</p>

<p>Recently, Nehwal won a bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/shraddha-kapoor-starts-shooting-saina-nehwals-biopic-badmintion-champs-parents-visit">Saina Nehwal's biopic</a>, in which leading Bollywood actress <a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/shraddha-kapoor-down-dengue-pauses-shoot-saina-nehwal-biopic-169357">Shraddha Kapoor</a> will play her, will release next year. The movie is directed by Amol Gupte.</p>


India's star shuttler and former world number one Saina Nehwal is to marry fellow badminton player Parupalli Kashyap on December 16. Recently, she had confirmed the same to a leading newspaper, saying the time was right to exchange marriage vows.

India's star shuttler and former world number one Saina Nehwal is to marry fellow badminton player Parupalli Kashyap on December 16. Recently, she had confirmed the same to a leading newspaper, saying the time was right to exchange marriage vows. "In the competitive world that we live in, it is difficult to get close to someone. But somehow we both found it very easy to talk to each other," told Saina. She also explained that why the couple remained tight-lipped even after the rumours had been swirling about their love affair. The 28-year-old said she had started dating Kashyap, 32, in 2007 after they began going on tours together but delayed the marriage in order to focus on their careers. Nehwal said she did not have to break the news to her parents as they had sensed it already. "I didn't have to tell them. We used to be together most of the time and my parents also travelled with me, so they understood who I was close to." Recently, Nehwal won a bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Saina Nehwal's biopic, in which leading Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor will play her, will release next year. The movie is directed by Amol Gupte.

Badminton star Saina Nehwal to marry fellow shuttler Parupalli Kashyap in December

<p>Saina Nehwal went down fighting against former world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarterfinals to draw curtains on India's campaign at the Korea Open World Tour Super 500 tournament here Friday.</p>

<p>The fifth-seeded Indian squandered four match points to go down 21-15 15-21 20-22 to the third-seeded Okuhara in a match that lasted almost an hour. It was Saina's third successive defeat to the Japanese.</p>

<p>Going into the match with an overall 6-3 head-to-head count against Okuhara, Saina took time to get into the groove as Okuhra led 3-0 early on.</p>

<p>The Indian slowly clawed back at 6-6 before grabbing a slender 11-10 advantage at the first break.</p>

<p>After the interval, Saina continued to move ahead and reeled off five straight points at 15-12 to gain eight game points and soon pocketed the opening game.</p>

<p>In the second game, Okuhara again opened a 4-1 lead. She made it 6-6 but the Japanese broke off at 8-8 to make it 14-9 and then made rapid progress to roar back into the contest.</p>

<p>Saina stepped up in the decider, managing a 4-1 lead this time but Okuhara kept snapping at her heels, reducing the margin to 10-11 at the breather.</p>

<p>After the break, Saina produced five points on the trot to make it 16-10 and then grabbed four match points at 20-16.</p>

<p>But the Japanese dynamo showed her fighting spirit as she reeled off six points on the trot to surpass Saina and seal the match.</p>

<p>Saina had reached the final of the Indonesia Masters in January and the only tournament she won this year was the Commonwealth Games in April, beating compatriot P V Sindhu in the final at Gold Coast.</p>

<p>She also won a bronze at the 18th Asian Games.&nbsp;</p>


Saina Nehwal went down fighting against former world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarterfinals to draw curtains on India's campaign at the Korea Open World Tour Super 500 tournament here Friday.

Saina Nehwal went down fighting against former world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarterfinals to draw curtains on India's campaign at the Korea Open World Tour Super 500 tournament here Friday. The fifth-seeded Indian squandered four match points to go down 21-15 15-21 20-22 to the third-seeded Okuhara in a match that lasted almost an hour. It was Saina's third successive defeat to the Japanese. Going into the match with an overall 6-3 head-to-head count against Okuhara, Saina took time to get into the groove as Okuhra led 3-0 early on. The Indian slowly clawed back at 6-6 before grabbing a slender 11-10 advantage at the first break. After the interval, Saina continued to move ahead and reeled off five straight points at 15-12 to gain eight game points and soon pocketed the opening game. In the second game, Okuhara again opened a 4-1 lead. She made it 6-6 but the Japanese broke off at 8-8 to make it 14-9 and then made rapid progress to roar back into the contest. Saina stepped up in the decider, managing a 4-1 lead this time but Okuhara kept snapping at her heels, reducing the margin to 10-11 at the breather. After the break, Saina produced five points on the trot to make it 16-10 and then grabbed four match points at 20-16. But the Japanese dynamo showed her fighting spirit as she reeled off six points on the trot to surpass Saina and seal the match. Saina had reached the final of the Indonesia Masters in January and the only tournament she won this year was the Commonwealth Games in April, beating compatriot P V Sindhu in the final at Gold Coast. She also won a bronze at the 18th Asian Games.

Korea Open: Saina loses to Japan's Okuhara after squandering four match points

<p>Shraddha Kapoor has started filming for Saina - a biopic on Badminton champion Saina Nehwal. The film was announced sometime in 2017 but got delayed due to various reasons. Kapoor was seen dressed as her character on the film's set.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Interestingly, Shraddha had visitors on the first day of the shoot. Saina Nehwal's parents came to wish the crew the best as they began shooting for the film.&nbsp;<br />
Directed by Amole Gupte, 'Saina' will be produced by T-Series.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Shraddha Kapoor on the sets of 'Saina' a biopic on Saina Nehwal's life. Image by Yogen Shah" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7d7fde9-ab28-44e2-ae8e-7e6f093d0f06" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Saina1.jpg" /></p>

<p><img alt="Saina Nehwal's parents came to wish the crew as they began filming. Image by Yogen Shah." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="582f3669-a6b7-4dfc-80fd-5cc3bbe14def" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Saina2.jpg" /></p>

<p><img alt="'Saina' is being directed by Amole Gupte and produced by T-Series. " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6f52f25e-b9ac-4953-850f-aae087cb565a" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/saina3.jpg" /><br />
"It is a physically demanding film. But it is an inspiring story as so many people look up to her. I feel grateful to be playing that part. I will begin shooting for it next month and the prep is on. I am having a great time playing badminton. It is fabulous to be part of such a great story," the actress has earlier told a news agency about her role.</p>

<p>Asked if she has mastered the game by now, she said, "I don't know that. I am trying to. It is the second most difficult sport in the world. It is not easy."</p>

<p>To prepare for her role, the actress spent quality time with Nehwal and even visited her at her home.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Shraddha Kapoor has started filming for Saina - a biopic on Badminton champion Saina Nehwal. The film was announced sometime in 2017 but got delayed due to various reasons.

Shraddha Kapoor has started filming for Saina - a biopic on Badminton champion Saina Nehwal. The film was announced sometime in 2017 but got delayed due to various reasons. Kapoor was seen dressed as her character on the film's set. Interestingly, Shraddha had visitors on the first day of the shoot. Saina Nehwal's parents came to wish the crew the best as they began shooting for the film. Directed by Amole Gupte, 'Saina' will be produced by T-Series. "It is a physically demanding film. But it is an inspiring story as so many people look up to her. I feel grateful to be playing that part. I will begin shooting for it next month and the prep is on. I am having a great time playing badminton. It is fabulous to be part of such a great story," the actress has earlier told a news agency about her role. Asked if she has mastered the game by now, she said, "I don't know that. I am trying to. It is the second most difficult sport in the world. It is not easy." To prepare for her role, the actress spent quality time with Nehwal and even visited her at her home.

Shraddha Kapoor starts shooting for Saina Nehwal's biopic; badmintion champ's parents visit her on set

<p>Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had given an open fitness challenge to Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, cricketer Virat Kohli and shuttler Saina Nehwal on Tuesday.</p>

<p>The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports posted a video on his official Twitter handle and promoted the campaign #HumFitTohIndiaFit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He shot the video himself being dressed in the formal attire and did ten push-ups without a pause while asking the viewers to share their "fitness mantra."</p>

<p><em>Watch the video here:</em></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HumFitTohIndiaFit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HumFitTohIndiaFit</a> ???<br />
<br />
Post pictures and videos of how you keep yourself fit and send a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FitnessChallenge?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FitnessChallenge</a> to your friends on social media. Here's my video ?and I challenge <a href="https://twitter.com/iHrithik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iHrithik</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NSaina</a> to join in? <a href="https://t.co/pYhRY1lNEm">pic.twitter.com/pYhRY1lNEm</a></p>
— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ra_THORe/status/998800601243881472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The Olympian also said that he is inspired by the fitness of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also influenced by Modi's motto of fit and healthy India.</p>

<p>Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan accepted the challenge and shared his fitness secret. Hrithik&nbsp;advocated the promotion of environment-friendly ways to keep up good health like walking, jogging and cycling.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He posted a video on Twitter with a caption, "This initiative makes me so proud ! Bravo @Ra_THORe #HumFitTohIndiaFit &nbsp;#FitnessChallenge this is how I commute to my office everyday. sitting static in a car is such a waste. Walk, cycle, jog, feel the earth, feel India ?? get FIT!"</p>

<p><em>Watch the video here:</em></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This initiative makes me so proud ! Bravo <a href="https://twitter.com/Ra_THORe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ra_THORe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HumFitTohIndiaFit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HumFitTohIndiaFit</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FitnessChallenge?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FitnessChallenge</a> this is how I commute to my office everyday. sitting static in a car is such a waste. Walk, cycle, jog, feel the earth, feel India ?? get FIT! <a href="https://t.co/twoI1vna9c">pic.twitter.com/twoI1vna9c</a></p>
— Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) <a href="https://twitter.com/iHrithik/status/998959071020617734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Earlier this year Rathore also initiated and monitored the launch of the Khelo India School Games that promote sports among students across schools of India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The initiative aims to provide a scholarship of Rs. 5 lakh each year to 1,000 athletes for a period of eight years.</p>

<p>Mr. Rathore, who recently took charge of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, was a former professional shooter and as a shooter, competing in the double trap event, he won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games.</p>


Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has given an open fitness challenge to Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, cricketer Virat Kohli and shuttler Saina Nehwal

Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had given an open fitness challenge to Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, cricketer Virat Kohli and shuttler Saina Nehwal on Tuesday. The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports posted a video on his official Twitter handle and promoted the campaign #HumFitTohIndiaFit. He shot the video himself being dressed in the formal attire and did ten push-ups without a pause while asking the viewers to share their "fitness mantra." Watch the video here: #HumFitTohIndiaFit ??? Post pictures and videos of how you keep yourself fit and send a #FitnessChallenge to your friends on social media. Here's my video ?and I challenge @iHrithik, @imVkohli & @NSaina to join in? pic.twitter.com/pYhRY1lNEm — Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) May 22, 2018 × The Olympian also said that he is inspired by the fitness of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also influenced by Modi's motto of fit and healthy India. Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan accepted the challenge and shared his fitness secret. Hrithik advocated the promotion of environment-friendly ways to keep up good health like walking, jogging and cycling. He posted a video on Twitter with a caption, "This initiative makes me so proud ! Bravo @Ra_THORe #HumFitTohIndiaFit #FitnessChallenge this is how I commute to my office everyday. sitting static in a car is such a waste. Walk, cycle, jog, feel the earth, feel India ?? get FIT!" Watch the video here: This initiative makes me so proud ! Bravo @Ra_THORe #HumFitTohIndiaFit #FitnessChallenge this is how I commute to my office everyday. sitting static in a car is such a waste. Walk, cycle, jog, feel the earth, feel India ?? get FIT! pic.twitter.com/twoI1vna9c — Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) May 22, 2018 × Earlier this year Rathore also initiated and monitored the launch of the Khelo India School Games that promote sports among students across schools of India. The initiative aims to provide a scholarship of Rs. 5 lakh each year to 1,000 athletes for a period of eight years. Mr. Rathore, who recently took charge of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, was a former professional shooter and as a shooter, competing in the double trap event, he won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games.

Watch: How Hrithik Roshan responds to Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's fitness challenge

<p>India suffered an embarrassing 0-5 defeat to Japan in their third and final Group A tie at the Uber Cup badminton tournament on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the first game of the women's singles, Saina Nehwal lost to Akane Yamaguchi 19-21, 21-9 20-22 in a marathon 54-minute match.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the women's doubles, Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi hammered Sanyogita Ghorpade and Prajakta Sawant in straight sets 21-15, 21-6 to take a crucial 2-0 lead.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India's poor performance continued in the third and the do-or-die match as Vaishnavi Reddy lost to Nozomi Okuhara 21-10, 21-13 in just 26 minutes.</p>

<p>In the fourth match, Indian shuttlers suffered the loss. In doubles match, Shiho Tanaka and Koharu Yonemoto thrashed inexperienced Vaishnavi Bhale and Meghana Jakkampudi 21-8, 21-17 to take a 4-0 lead.</p>

<p>Anura Prabhudesai rounded up a disappointing day for the Indians as she lost in the straight games to Sayaka Takahashi.</p>

<p>The Indian lost 12-21, 7-21 in just 26 minutes.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Nehwal lost to Akane Yamaguchi 19-21, 21-9 20-22 in a marathon 54-minute match.

India suffered an embarrassing 0-5 defeat to Japan in their third and final Group A tie at the Uber Cup badminton tournament on Wednesday. In the first game of the women's singles, Saina Nehwal lost to Akane Yamaguchi 19-21, 21-9 20-22 in a marathon 54-minute match. In the women's doubles, Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi hammered Sanyogita Ghorpade and Prajakta Sawant in straight sets 21-15, 21-6 to take a crucial 2-0 lead. India's poor performance continued in the third and the do-or-die match as Vaishnavi Reddy lost to Nozomi Okuhara 21-10, 21-13 in just 26 minutes. In the fourth match, Indian shuttlers suffered the loss. In doubles match, Shiho Tanaka and Koharu Yonemoto thrashed inexperienced Vaishnavi Bhale and Meghana Jakkampudi 21-8, 21-17 to take a 4-0 lead. Anura Prabhudesai rounded up a disappointing day for the Indians as she lost in the straight games to Sayaka Takahashi. The Indian lost 12-21, 7-21 in just 26 minutes.

Thomas and Uber Cup: Saina Nehwal loses as Japan thrash India 5-0

<p>India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday revealed that her arc-rival PV Sindhu is just another opponent for her.&nbsp</p>

<p>Nehwal has a 3-1 head-to-head record in the international matches against Rio Games silver medallist Sindhu.&nbsp</p>

<p>She also defeated Sindhu in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games final.&nbsp</p>

<p>While speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a felicitation function of the CWG medal winning shuttlers by the Badminton Association of India, the London Olympics bronze medallist said," It's not about me playing against Sindhu or any other opponent. I just take her (Sindhu) as any other opponent. I have issues with some of the players but I am comfortable playing against some of them."&nbsp</p>

<p>"Maybe my game is more suited while playing against them. But I don't know how it happened but it is happening on the court," She added.&nbsp</p>

<p>However, she considers her opponents including Saina to be dangerous and wants to be better than them. &nbsp</p>

<p>"I keep working on my areas of weakness. I want to think that I am better than my opponent but actually that is not. Maybe Sindhu or any other player in the world, all are very dangerous at the moment. I have to be always careful and be alert about the mistakes I had done in matches against them."</p>

<p>Saina was part of the mixed event gold winning team and then clinched another yellow metal in the women's singles where she defeated Sindhu in the final in straight games.&nbsp</p>

<p>After that, she won a bronze in the Asian Badminton Championships in China after losing to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in semifinals.&nbsp</p>

<p>Asked if the badminton fans are seeing the Saina of the old, she said, "I am playing very well, don't know of old (or not). But this is winning me medals."&nbsp</p>

<p>Talking about the upcoming Asian Games, she said India should do better than earlier editions as all the top players are currently in great form.</p>

<p>"Asian Games is going to be tougher than the CWG, it is almost the same level as Olympics. It is going to be difficult but all of us are playing very well at the moment and our confidence is really high. It depends on the draw also. But I think the performance should be better this time," she said.&nbsp<br />
&nbsp</p>


Nehwal has a 3-1 head-to-head record in the international matches against Sindhu.

India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday revealed that her arc-rival PV Sindhu is just another opponent for her. Nehwal has a 3-1 head-to-head record in the international matches against Rio Games silver medallist Sindhu. She also defeated Sindhu in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games final. While speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a felicitation function of the CWG medal winning shuttlers by the Badminton Association of India, the London Olympics bronze medallist said," It's not about me playing against Sindhu or any other opponent. I just take her (Sindhu) as any other opponent. I have issues with some of the players but I am comfortable playing against some of them." "Maybe my game is more suited while playing against them. But I don't know how it happened but it is happening on the court," She added. However, she considers her opponents including Saina to be dangerous and wants to be better than them. "I keep working on my areas of weakness. I want to think that I am better than my opponent but actually that is not. Maybe Sindhu or any other player in the world, all are very dangerous at the moment. I have to be always careful and be alert about the mistakes I had done in matches against them." Saina was part of the mixed event gold winning team and then clinched another yellow metal in the women's singles where she defeated Sindhu in the final in straight games. After that, she won a bronze in the Asian Badminton Championships in China after losing to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in semifinals. Asked if the badminton fans are seeing the Saina of the old, she said, "I am playing very well, don't know of old (or not). But this is winning me medals." Talking about the upcoming Asian Games, she said India should do better than earlier editions as all the top players are currently in great form. "Asian Games is going to be tougher than the CWG, it is almost the same level as Olympics. It is going to be difficult but all of us are playing very well at the moment and our confidence is really high. It depends on the draw also. But I think the performance should be better this time," she said.

This is what Saina Nehwal said on her competition with PV Sindhu

<p>Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today.</p>

<p>Saina, who led the head-to-head count 3-1 before today's match, won 21-18 23-21 in the high-pressure match that lasted an hour.</p>

<p>The triumph marked a remarkable end to her CWG campaign this edition. She was the pillar of India's gold-winning campaign in the team championship earlier, playing every one of the singles matches due to Sindhu's injury.</p>

<p>In a match that started on equal footing, Saina managed to dominate, bringing a rarely seen aggression to the court.</p>

<p>The brute force of Sindhu's smashes was something that Saina found hard to deal with. On the other hand, Sindhu found it tough to adjust to the delicate placement of strokes of Saina, who took the pace off the shuttle by attacking the net.</p>

<p>The strategy worked quite well for the London Olympics bronze-medallist and she raced to an 9-4 lead. As the gap widened, Saina's command on the baseline also improved. The two contrasting styles of the two shuttlers made for an exhilarating contest.</p>

<p>What also stood out was Saina's sharper instincts to leave the returns that landed out. Sindhu struggled to control the power she put on her shots, losing at least four points for pushing the shuttle outside and trailed 6-11 at the lemon break.</p>

<p>Sindhu came back strongly after the break and narrowed the gap a bit but the drift-factor affected her strokeplay way more than Saina, who also seemed the more pumped up of the two, grunting quite a bit after every point won.</p>

<p>Saina's court coverage was also the more impressive of the two. A telling image of the opening game was when Sindhu was brought to her knees trying to return a smash that didn't really have any power in it but was just placed perfectly on the left corner.</p>

<p>Sindhu found her bearings after Saina had taken a 20-14 lead and closed it 18-20 but Saina brought her own brute force to fore with a smash targeting Sindhu's body which was simply unreturnable. Saina claimed the opening game 21-18 in 23 minutes.</p>

<p>The second game followed a similar tangent and despite having the more tired set of legs, Saina was a delight with her trademark angled smashes. But to Sindhu's credit, she too exhibited a better command on her smashes and improved considerably court-coverage to take a 9-7 lead, which she widened to 13-8 after the break.</p>

<p>For the full house, mostly packed with the diaspora, it was a brilliant Sunday outing as the top two women of Indian badminton slugged it out, displaying an array of strokes.</p>

<p>Sindhu led 19-16 at one stage but a 64-stroke rally to narrow it to 18-19 brought Saina right back and she equalised at 19-19. However, Sindhu edged ahead for a 20-19 lead and a game point.</p>

<p>The see-saw battle continued when Sindhu hit one out to give Saina the equalising point yet again.</p>

<p>This time, it was Saina who got the championship point when Sindhu struck a return out. The lady, who looked the hungrier of the two all through, was surprisingly late in picking one up as Sindhu made it 21-21.</p>

<p>But Saina was back in lead with a cross-court smash that Sindhu just could not reach. Serving for the gold, Saina forced a wide stroke from Sindhu and then let out a scream to celebrate the triumph.</p>


Saina won 21-18 23-21 in the high-pressure match that lasted an hour

Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today. Saina, who led the head-to-head count 3-1 before today's match, won 21-18 23-21 in the high-pressure match that lasted an hour. The triumph marked a remarkable end to her CWG campaign this edition. She was the pillar of India's gold-winning campaign in the team championship earlier, playing every one of the singles matches due to Sindhu's injury. In a match that started on equal footing, Saina managed to dominate, bringing a rarely seen aggression to the court. The brute force of Sindhu's smashes was something that Saina found hard to deal with. On the other hand, Sindhu found it tough to adjust to the delicate placement of strokes of Saina, who took the pace off the shuttle by attacking the net. The strategy worked quite well for the London Olympics bronze-medallist and she raced to an 9-4 lead. As the gap widened, Saina's command on the baseline also improved. The two contrasting styles of the two shuttlers made for an exhilarating contest. What also stood out was Saina's sharper instincts to leave the returns that landed out. Sindhu struggled to control the power she put on her shots, losing at least four points for pushing the shuttle outside and trailed 6-11 at the lemon break. Sindhu came back strongly after the break and narrowed the gap a bit but the drift-factor affected her strokeplay way more than Saina, who also seemed the more pumped up of the two, grunting quite a bit after every point won. Saina's court coverage was also the more impressive of the two. A telling image of the opening game was when Sindhu was brought to her knees trying to return a smash that didn't really have any power in it but was just placed perfectly on the left corner. Sindhu found her bearings after Saina had taken a 20-14 lead and closed it 18-20 but Saina brought her own brute force to fore with a smash targeting Sindhu's body which was simply unreturnable. Saina claimed the opening game 21-18 in 23 minutes. The second game followed a similar tangent and despite having the more tired set of legs, Saina was a delight with her trademark angled smashes. But to Sindhu's credit, she too exhibited a better command on her smashes and improved considerably court-coverage to take a 9-7 lead, which she widened to 13-8 after the break. For the full house, mostly packed with the diaspora, it was a brilliant Sunday outing as the top two women of Indian badminton slugged it out, displaying an array of strokes. Sindhu led 19-16 at one stage but a 64-stroke rally to narrow it to 18-19 brought Saina right back and she equalised at 19-19. However, Sindhu edged ahead for a 20-19 lead and a game point. The see-saw battle continued when Sindhu hit one out to give Saina the equalising point yet again. This time, it was Saina who got the championship point when Sindhu struck a return out. The lady, who looked the hungrier of the two all through, was surprisingly late in picking one up as Sindhu made it 21-21. But Saina was back in lead with a cross-court smash that Sindhu just could not reach. Serving for the gold, Saina forced a wide stroke from Sindhu and then let out a scream to celebrate the triumph.

CWG 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to win women's singles title

<p><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/sports/cwg-2018-one-more-gold-for-india-saina-nehwal-wins-womens-singles-title-130484">CWG 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to win Women's Singles title</a></p>

<p>Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V Sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-fails-in-un-bid-to-condemn-us-led-strikes-on-syria-130482">Russia fails in UNSC bid to condemn US-led strikes on Syria</a></p>

<p>A Russian bid for the United Nations Security Council to condemn US, British and French air strikes on Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack failed on Saturday (April 14). Only China and Bolivia joined Russia to vote in favor of a draft resolution.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-williamson-led-hyderabad-beat-kolkata-to-mark-third-consecutive-win-130475">IPL 2018: Williamson-led Hyderabad beat Kolkata to mark 3rd consecutive win</a></p>

<p>Hyderabad won its third consecutive match on Saturday at Eden Garden Stadium against Kolkata by five wickets.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russias-lavrov-says-skripals-may-have-been-poisoned-by-substance-russia-never-made-130478">Russia's Lavrov says Skripals may have been poisoned by substance Russia never made</a></p>

<p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain could have been the BZ substance - which was never produced in the Soviet Union or Russia.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/syrian-army-declares-eastern-ghouta-free-of-rebel-fighters-130485">Syrian army declares eastern Ghouta free of rebel fighters</a></p>

<p>After the departure of the last rebel fighters from the city of Douma towards the north of the country, Syria's army command on Saturday (April 14) announced that the eastern Ghouta region was free of militants, state media reported, citing a statement by the Syrian army general command.</p>


CWG 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to win Women's Singles title Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V Sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today. Russia fails in UNSC bid to condemn US-led strikes on Syria A Russian bid for the United Nations Security Council to condemn US, British and French air strikes on Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack failed on Saturday (April 14). Only China and Bolivia joined Russia to vote in favor of a draft resolution. IPL 2018: Williamson-led Hyderabad beat Kolkata to mark 3rd consecutive win Hyderabad won its third consecutive match on Saturday at Eden Garden Stadium against Kolkata by five wickets. Russia's Lavrov says Skripals may have been poisoned by substance Russia never made Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain could have been the BZ substance - which was never produced in the Soviet Union or Russia. Syrian army declares eastern Ghouta free of rebel fighters After the departure of the last rebel fighters from the city of Douma towards the north of the country, Syria's army command on Saturday (April 14) announced that the eastern Ghouta region was free of militants, state media reported, citing a statement by the Syrian army general command.

<p>Shuttlers P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth and H.S. Prannoy entered the quarter-finals, while Satwik Rankireddy, Ashwini Ponnappa and N.Sikki Reddy reached the last-eight stages in both the doubles categories at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Thursday.</p>

<p>Sindhu whipped local girl Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen 21-15, 21-9, while Nehwal advanced after the Isle of Man's Jessica Li retired hurt while trailing 4-21, 0-2.</p>

<p>World No.3 Sindhu on Friday will take on Canadian Brittney Tam for a place in the top-four, while Saina will face Rachel Honderich of Canada.</p>

<p>In another women's singles tie, Ruthvika Gadde overcame some resistance from Singapore's Jia Min Yeo to eventually emerge victorious 21-10, 21-23, 21-10 in a 55-minute battle.&nbsp</p>

<p>She will face Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the next round.</p>

<p>In the men's singles, top seed Srikanth thrashed Sri Lankan Niluka Karunaratne 21-10, 21-10 in just 33 minutes at the Carrara Sports Arena here, while Prannoy tamed Australian Anthony Joe 21-18, 21-11 in 35 minutes to enter the quarter-finals.</p>

<p>Srikanth will meet Singapore's Ryan Ng Zin Rei in the quarter-finals, while Prannoy will look to go past Sri Lankan Dinuka Karunaratne.</p>

<p>In the men's doubles, Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Mauritius` Aatish Lubah and Christopher Jean Paul 21-8, 21-12.</p>

<p>The Indian pair will meet Malaysians Chan Peng Soon and Goh Soon Huat in the next round.</p>

<p>In the mixed doubles, the pairs of Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwik, and Sikki and Pranaav Chopra advanced to the quarter-finals.</p>

<p>Ashwini and Satwik took just 25 minutes to thrash Canadian duo of Kristen Tsai and Nyl Yakura 21-10, 21-7.</p>

<p>In the quarter-finals, the Indian mixed doubles pair will be up against Malaysia`s Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie, who got past Ghana`s Emmanuel Donkor and Stella Amasah.</p>


Sindhu whipped local girl Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen 21-15, 21-9,

Shuttlers P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth and H.S. Prannoy entered the quarter-finals, while Satwik Rankireddy, Ashwini Ponnappa and N.Sikki Reddy reached the last-eight stages in both the doubles categories at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Thursday. Sindhu whipped local girl Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen 21-15, 21-9, while Nehwal advanced after the Isle of Man's Jessica Li retired hurt while trailing 4-21, 0-2. World No.3 Sindhu on Friday will take on Canadian Brittney Tam for a place in the top-four, while Saina will face Rachel Honderich of Canada. In another women's singles tie, Ruthvika Gadde overcame some resistance from Singapore's Jia Min Yeo to eventually emerge victorious 21-10, 21-23, 21-10 in a 55-minute battle. She will face Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the next round. In the men's singles, top seed Srikanth thrashed Sri Lankan Niluka Karunaratne 21-10, 21-10 in just 33 minutes at the Carrara Sports Arena here, while Prannoy tamed Australian Anthony Joe 21-18, 21-11 in 35 minutes to enter the quarter-finals. Srikanth will meet Singapore's Ryan Ng Zin Rei in the quarter-finals, while Prannoy will look to go past Sri Lankan Dinuka Karunaratne. In the men's doubles, Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Mauritius` Aatish Lubah and Christopher Jean Paul 21-8, 21-12. The Indian pair will meet Malaysians Chan Peng Soon and Goh Soon Huat in the next round. In the mixed doubles, the pairs of Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwik, and Sikki and Pranaav Chopra advanced to the quarter-finals. Ashwini and Satwik took just 25 minutes to thrash Canadian duo of Kristen Tsai and Nyl Yakura 21-10, 21-7. In the quarter-finals, the Indian mixed doubles pair will be up against Malaysia`s Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie, who got past Ghana`s Emmanuel Donkor and Stella Amasah.

CWG 2018: Indians in badminton quarters

<p>Ace India doubles badminton player Jwala Gutta on Wednesday slammed fellow athlete and Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal for threatening to pull out of the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast if her father wasn't allowed to enter the Games Village due to accreditation issues.</p>

<p>Saina, in a series of tweets, had vented her anger, surprised that her father, Harvir Singh’s, name was missing from the officials’ list and was not allowed to enter the Games Village.</p>

<p>"Surprise to see that when we started from India for commonwealth games 2018 my father was confirmed as the team official and I paid the whole amount for that but when we came to the games village ... his name was cut from team official category .. and he can’t even stay with me," Saina said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saina’s tantrum was not received well by Gutta, who took to her Twitter handle to criticise her decision.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Funny...how such things like demanding for money awards plots etc etc on social media doesn’t count for controversies...and when asked for right to play is controversial ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hypocrisytoanotherlevel?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hypocrisytoanotherlevel</a></p>
— Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) <a href="https://twitter.com/Guttajwala/status/981166804117602305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hmmm..my family always paid for tickets n stayed in hotels...I have no idea what’s being promised n what’s the demand?? But for the games when u know dates long before the team leaves..isn’t it better to book n plan in advance? Threatening not play..is it correct??</p>
— Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) <a href="https://twitter.com/Guttajwala/status/981165908268740608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Saina&nbsp;even sent a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta saying she would not play her matches if her father did not get his accreditation as was promised earlier.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Fearing another controversy ahead of the Games, the IOA on Tuesday cleared Harvir Singh's CWG games village accommodation which now means that he can watch Saina's matches.</p>

<p>Reacting to the decision, Saina thanked the IOA for sorting out the issue in a tweet: "Thank u so much @ioaindia for the support and help sorting out my father's accreditation card in such short notice ..Hopefully it will b great for the matches ahead ..and I m sorry for all the trouble."</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank u so much <a href="https://twitter.com/ioaindia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ioaindia</a> for the support and help sorting out my father’s accreditation card in such short notice ..Hopefully it will b great for the matches ahead ..and I m sorry for all the trouble ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CommonwealthGames2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CommonwealthGames2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/fWCvrLk4YV">pic.twitter.com/fWCvrLk4YV</a></p>
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/981144142221688832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Meanwhile, retired professional shooter Abhinav Bindra too attacked Saina by tweeting, “Am sure as a member of the @olympics Athletes committee you are well aware of accreditation protocols. Wishing you all the best for the CWG.”</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Gutta took to her Twitter handle to criticise Saina's decision.

Ace India doubles badminton player Jwala Gutta on Wednesday slammed fellow athlete and Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal for threatening to pull out of the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast if her father wasn't allowed to enter the Games Village due to accreditation issues. Saina, in a series of tweets, had vented her anger, surprised that her father, Harvir Singh’s, name was missing from the officials’ list and was not allowed to enter the Games Village. "Surprise to see that when we started from India for commonwealth games 2018 my father was confirmed as the team official and I paid the whole amount for that but when we came to the games village ... his name was cut from team official category .. and he can’t even stay with me," Saina said. Saina’s tantrum was not received well by Gutta, who took to her Twitter handle to criticise her decision. Funny...how such things like demanding for money awards plots etc etc on social media doesn’t count for controversies...and when asked for right to play is controversial ?? #hypocrisytoanotherlevel — Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) April 3, 2018 × Hmmm..my family always paid for tickets n stayed in hotels...I have no idea what’s being promised n what’s the demand?? But for the games when u know dates long before the team leaves..isn’t it better to book n plan in advance? Threatening not play..is it correct?? — Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) April 3, 2018 × Saina even sent a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta saying she would not play her matches if her father did not get his accreditation as was promised earlier. Fearing another controversy ahead of the Games, the IOA on Tuesday cleared Harvir Singh's CWG games village accommodation which now means that he can watch Saina's matches. Reacting to the decision, Saina thanked the IOA for sorting out the issue in a tweet: "Thank u so much @ioaindia for the support and help sorting out my father's accreditation card in such short notice ..Hopefully it will b great for the matches ahead ..and I m sorry for all the trouble." Thank u so much @ioaindia for the support and help sorting out my father’s accreditation card in such short notice ..Hopefully it will b great for the matches ahead ..and I m sorry for all the trouble ??#CommonwealthGames2018 pic.twitter.com/fWCvrLk4YV — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 3, 2018 × Meanwhile, retired professional shooter Abhinav Bindra too attacked Saina by tweeting, “Am sure as a member of the @olympics Athletes committee you are well aware of accreditation protocols. Wishing you all the best for the CWG.”

Jwala Gutta slams Saina Nehwal for threatening to pull out of Commonwealth Games

<p>Expressing her disappointment in a series of tweets on Monday night, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal said her father, who was confirmed as part of the Indian contingent travelling to Australia for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, was denied entry in the Gold Coast Games Village.</p>

<p>Nehwal said her father cannot stay with her.</p>

<p>"Surprise to see that when we started from India for Commonwealth Games 2018 my father was confirmed as the team official and I paid the whole amount for that but when we came to the Games Village ... his name was cut from team official category .. and he can't even stay with me," she wrote on Twitter.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Surprise to see that when we started from India for commonwealth games 2018 my father was confirmed as the team official and I paid the whole amount for that but when we came to the games village ... his name was cut from team official category .. and he can’t even stay with me .</p>
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/980812863966134277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Responding to that,&nbsp;Indian Olympic Association Tweeted, "Dear @NSaina , Mr. Harvir Singh is an accredited Extra Official! As stated in the CDM Manual of Gold Coast 2018 CWG and repeatedly conveyed to BAI, the payment for accreditation of Extra Official does not include bed in the Games Village."</p>

<p>According to CWG guidelines, training partners and personal coaches are not entitled to access the Commonwealth Games Village (CGV). The access to CGV is facilitated by a guest pass allocation.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NSaina</a> , Mr. Harvir Singh is an accredited Extra Official! As stated in the CDM Manual of Gold Coast 2018 CWG and repeatedly conveyed to BAI, the payment for accreditation of Extra Official does not include bed in the Games Village. <a href="https://twitter.com/Abhinav_Bindra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Abhinav_Bindra</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kannandelhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kannandelhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/Nl00WxS685">pic.twitter.com/Nl00WxS685</a></p>
— IOA - Team India (@ioaindia) <a href="https://twitter.com/ioaindia/status/981004723523239937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The sports ministry had earlier cleared her father Harvir Singh Nehwal's name as an 'extra official' with the badminton squad for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.</p>

<p>London Olympics bronze medalist Saina tagged the Commonwealth Games Federation to express her concern.</p>

<p>"He can't c my matches and he can't enter the village nor he can meet me in anyway .. what kind of support is this ..@thecgf," read another tweet.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">He can’t c my matches and he can’t enter the village nor he can meet me in anyway .. what kind of support is this ..<a href="https://twitter.com/thecgf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thecgf</a></p>
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/980813410056024064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>She also added that she regularly takes him for her competitions and wanted his support for the Commonwealth Games.</p>

<p>"I wanted his support as I regularly take him for my competitions ...but I didn't understand why nobody informed me all this earlier .. that he can't enter anywhere #CommonwealthGames2018," she wrote.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I wanted his support as I regularly take him for my competitions ...but i didn’t understand why nobody informed me all this earlier .. that he can’t enter anywhere <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CommonwealthGames2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CommonwealthGames2018</a></p>
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/980814072538001408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is slated to begin from tomorrow, with the opening ceremony scheduled to start at 1525 hours IST.</p>

<p>The 12-day event will end on April 15.&nbsp;</p>


Nehwal said her father cannot stay with her

Expressing her disappointment in a series of tweets on Monday night, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal said her father, who was confirmed as part of the Indian contingent travelling to Australia for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, was denied entry in the Gold Coast Games Village. Nehwal said her father cannot stay with her. "Surprise to see that when we started from India for Commonwealth Games 2018 my father was confirmed as the team official and I paid the whole amount for that but when we came to the Games Village ... his name was cut from team official category .. and he can't even stay with me," she wrote on Twitter. Surprise to see that when we started from India for commonwealth games 2018 my father was confirmed as the team official and I paid the whole amount for that but when we came to the games village ... his name was cut from team official category .. and he can’t even stay with me . — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 2, 2018 × Responding to that, Indian Olympic Association Tweeted, "Dear @NSaina , Mr. Harvir Singh is an accredited Extra Official! As stated in the CDM Manual of Gold Coast 2018 CWG and repeatedly conveyed to BAI, the payment for accreditation of Extra Official does not include bed in the Games Village." According to CWG guidelines, training partners and personal coaches are not entitled to access the Commonwealth Games Village (CGV). The access to CGV is facilitated by a guest pass allocation. Dear @NSaina , Mr. Harvir Singh is an accredited Extra Official! As stated in the CDM Manual of Gold Coast 2018 CWG and repeatedly conveyed to BAI, the payment for accreditation of Extra Official does not include bed in the Games Village. @Abhinav_Bindra @kannandelhi pic.twitter.com/Nl00WxS685 — IOA - Team India (@ioaindia) April 3, 2018 × The sports ministry had earlier cleared her father Harvir Singh Nehwal's name as an 'extra official' with the badminton squad for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. London Olympics bronze medalist Saina tagged the Commonwealth Games Federation to express her concern. "He can't c my matches and he can't enter the village nor he can meet me in anyway .. what kind of support is this ..@thecgf," read another tweet. He can’t c my matches and he can’t enter the village nor he can meet me in anyway .. what kind of support is this ..@thecgf — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 2, 2018 × She also added that she regularly takes him for her competitions and wanted his support for the Commonwealth Games. "I wanted his support as I regularly take him for my competitions ...but I didn't understand why nobody informed me all this earlier .. that he can't enter anywhere #CommonwealthGames2018," she wrote. I wanted his support as I regularly take him for my competitions ...but i didn’t understand why nobody informed me all this earlier .. that he can’t enter anywhere #CommonwealthGames2018 — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 2, 2018 × The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is slated to begin from tomorrow, with the opening ceremony scheduled to start at 1525 hours IST. The 12-day event will end on April 15.

Saina disappointed as father denied entry into CWG village

<p>Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu will be Indian contingent&rsquo;s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, according to IOA sources.</p>

<p>The 22-year old ace Indian shuttler was picked ahead of the likes of Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal due to a better colour of the medal at the Olympics and her recent performances.</p>

<p>Sindhu, who reached the semi-finals of the All England championships last week, was picked by the IOA as the flag-bearer after a meeting on Friday evening.</p>

<p>The 22-year-old is one of the country&rsquo;s biggest medal hopes at the CWG and would look to improve on her bronze medal performance in the women&rsquo;s singles at the Glasgow CWG in 2014.</p>

<p>This would be the first time in the last three editions of the Commonwealth Games that a badminton player would don the flag-bearer&rsquo;s hat.</p>

<p>At the 2006 Melbourne CWG, Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who is presently the Union Sports Minister, was the Indian contingent&rsquo;s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony.</p>

<p>At the 2010 Delhi CWG, it was Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra who carried forward the legacy at the march past.</p>

<p>At the 2014 Glasgow CWG, London Olympics silver medallist shooter Vijay Kumar was handed the responsibility of flag-bearer.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


She was picked ahead of the likes of Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu will be Indian contingent’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, according to IOA sources. The 22-year old ace Indian shuttler was picked ahead of the likes of Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal due to a better colour of the medal at the Olympics and her recent performances. Sindhu, who reached the semi-finals of the All England championships last week, was picked by the IOA as the flag-bearer after a meeting on Friday evening. The 22-year-old is one of the country’s biggest medal hopes at the CWG and would look to improve on her bronze medal performance in the women’s singles at the Glasgow CWG in 2014. This would be the first time in the last three editions of the Commonwealth Games that a badminton player would don the flag-bearer’s hat. At the 2006 Melbourne CWG, Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who is presently the Union Sports Minister, was the Indian contingent’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. At the 2010 Delhi CWG, it was Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra who carried forward the legacy at the march past. At the 2014 Glasgow CWG, London Olympics silver medallist shooter Vijay Kumar was handed the responsibility of flag-bearer.

Shuttler PV Sindhu to be India's flag-bearer at CWG opening ceremony

saina-nehwal

Saina Nehwal, News on Saina Nehwal, stories on Saina Nehwal, articles on Saina Nehwal, Saina Nehwal stories at Wion, Saina Nehwal news, Saina Nehwal latest news

saina nehwal