I thought I could make it but my legs just wouldn't let me': Saina Nehwal
Dubai: Saina Nehwal said her body had let her down as she missed out on an unexpected place in the Super Series semi-finals on Friday.
The former world number one from India got the chance to progress against the odds because Carolina Marin, the world champion and favourite to win the Super Series finals for the first time, was pushed to the edge of exit by a second defeat in two days.
But when Nehwal was faced with an opponent, the former holder Tai Tzu Ying, who had not won a game let alone a match in her two previous encounters, her physical resources failed her as she fell to a painful 16-21, 21-18, 21-14 loss.
Just a handful of extra points in the second game, in which Nehwal repaired an eight-point deficit to reach 16-16, would have scraped her through. Instead it was uncomfortable to watch her attempts at dragging her heavy limbs around the court as the effects of recent injuries took their toll.
"I thought I could make it but my legs just wouldn't let me," she said. "I've not been able to train since the China Open three weeks ago and after the first game I could feel I was getting tired.
"It was a very, very big match and it was tough. But I am happy with how I tried. And I will look back on what's been a very good year."
Comments
Post a Comment