Jwala & Diju falter at final hurdle

India’s top mixed doubles combination of Jwala Gutta and V Diju failed to master their nerves and superior opponents as they failed at the final hurdle of the BWF World Super Series Masters in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Sunday, reports HT Correspondent.

India’s top mixed doubles combination of Jwala Gutta and V Diju failed to master their nerves and superior opponents as they failed at the final hurdle of the BWF World Super Series Masters in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Sunday.

HT Image

The Indians went down to World Championship bronze medallists and top seeds Christinna Pedersen and Joaquim Nielsen 21-14, 21-18.

Jwala and Diju failed to start on the right note as they were defensive in the initial exchanges and that gave their opponents an upper hand, which they maintained throughout the opening game.

The Indians did manage to come back in the second with Jwala showing good anticipation at the net and Diju stepping up the pace from behind. It looked like the match would go into the decider when the Chinese Taipei Open champions opened up a 16-14 lead but a flurry of unforced errors put paid to their challenge.

"We were a bit nervous and that showed in our game," said Jwala, who was playing without being fully fit due to a leg infection.

The 26-year-old, however, was pleased with the performance despite lack of practice and said it would give them confidence to push for more titles next year.