Malaysia Masters: Double blow as Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu exit

World champion PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal faltered at the quarter-final stage in the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur. With this, the Indian challenge ended in the tournament

Kuala Lumpur: It was a double blow for India as shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal were ousted from the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (January 10).

Both the Hyderabad-based badminton players failed to cross the quarter-final hurdle. First, it was Sindhu, who lost to Taiwan's Tai Tzu-Ying in straight games 21-16, 21-16.

Later, Saina too followed the exit route as she was defeated by Spain's Carolina Marin 21-8, 21-7. Prior to today’s  match, the head-to-head record between the two had stood at 6-6. On Friday, Olympic champion Marin took full advantage of Saina’s unforced errors.

World champion Sindhu faced defeat in 36 minutes while Saina's clash lasted 30 minutes. Tzu-Ying dominated the proceedings and won the contest. Now, the top seeded Chinese Taipei player leads 12-5 in head-to-head record against the Indian.

With twin losses on Friday, India's challenge at the Malaysia Masters ended.