India's campaign in the women's singles of the $350,000 Hong Kong Super Series came to an end after ace shuttler Saina Nehwal was stunned by Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals in Hong Kong on Friday.
Seeded third, Saina went down 15-21 19-21 to her lower ranked opponent in just 39 minutes in Kowloon.
Before Friday's match, Saina held a 5-2 edge over her Taipei rival. Last time the two met, the Indian had defeated Ying in the semi-finals of the Swiss Open in 2013.
World No. 4 Saina, who recently won the title at China Open, looked pretty rusty on Friday.
The girl from Hyderabad was a pale shadow of herself in the opening game before she fought back in the second, but failed to make it to the next round.
Breaking away from a 2-2 tie in the first game, there was no looking back for the Taipei girl. She just kept on extending the lead, even as Saina played the catch-up game.
Although Saina tried her best, she always trailed behind Ying, seeded sixth. By the end of the opening round, the Taipei girl had surged ahead wrapping it up 21-15.
{{/usCountry}}Although Saina tried her best, she always trailed behind Ying, seeded sixth. By the end of the opening round, the Taipei girl had surged ahead wrapping it up 21-15.
{{/usCountry}}The Olympic bronze medallist, however, pulled up her socks in the second game and came up with a much-improved show.
It turned out to be a closely-fought affair as the game tilted from one end to another and the two shuttlers were tied at 19-19. But World No. 9 Ying came up with two consecutive winners just when it mattered most to seal the issue in her favour, thereby making it to the semi-finals.