Outclassed by world no 1 Yihan Wang of China, India’s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal will leave behind the defeat and face another Chinese in the play-off for bronze medal on Saturday. The world no 5 was no match for her opponent and couldn’t play to her strength as ‘too fast’ Wang kept her away from engaging in long rallies. She wasn’t also moving well on court, a fact that was well exploited by the Chinese as the Indian failed to counter her aggressive game.

Consequently, she lost 13-21, 13-21 ending her hopes of landing a gold medal but the Hyderabadi is still in contention for a podium finish when she squares off against world no 2 Wang Xin. Saina’s record against the Chinese reads 2-4 who lost her semifinal match against compatriot Li Xuerui.