Badminton World Championship final as it happened: Marin overcomes Saina 21-16, 21-19 to defend title

Second Game: Marin 21 – 19 Saina

Marin gets to match-point with another smash. Saina saves one with a brave cross-court smash that wrong-foots Marin but Marin wins at the second attempt when Saina pushes the shuttle wide.

Carolina Marin has beaten Saina Nehwal 21-16, 21-19 to win her second World Championship in a row.

Second Game: Marin 19 – 18 Saina

Saina then makes a mistake. She thinks the shuttle is going long and lets it drop but it lands inside the backline to hand Marin the lead.

Second Game: Marin 18 – 18 Saina

Saina gets a break when Marin pushes the shuttle long with Saina out of position but she can’t capitalise as Marin smashes a return winner.

Second Game: Marin 17 – 17 Saina

Marin quickly draws level. This is squeaky bum time again.

Second Game: Marin 15 – 17 Saina

Marin comes right back though with a deep push for a winner but then pushes a drop shot inches wide after another lengthy rally. Neither player is giving an inch at the moment.

Second Game: Marin 14 – 16 Saina

Marin gets one point back when the shuttle drops on the line. Saina challenges but loses. Saina doesn’t allow Marin to gain any momentum though, smashing the serve to Marin’s backhand and Marin nets it.

Second Game: Marin 13 – 15 Saina

An unforced error gives Saina one point and then Saina moves Marin all over the court ini another gruelling rally that ends when Marin pushes the shuttle into the net. This is titantic stuff.

Second Game: Marin 13 – 13 Saina

Stunning rally from both players. Saina somehow returned a smash to the body and Marin somehow picked up a couple of drop shots. In the end, Marin won the rally with another smash to the body. She has won seven straight points now. Saina finally ends the run with a smash to the body of her own after another long rally.

Second Game: Marin 12 – 12 Saina

Incredible from Marin. She twice returns smashes when she seemed in no position to do so and then Saina nets a drop shot with Marin out of position. That’s what Marin’s ability to return the shuttle can do – draw the error because you feel you need to play the perfect shot. Another smash to the body draws Marin level wiht Saina. She has won six straight points now.

Second Game: Marin 10 – 12 Saina

Marin is making a run. She has won four points in a row to cut the gap to two points. Pounces on a short shuttle and hammers it for a winner. She’s moving sharper again. She suddenly seems to lift her game.

Second Game: Marin 8 – 12 Saina

Saina pushes her lead to six points after the break before another Marin smash to the body earns her a point back. A stunning cross-court smash from Marin from deep in the backhand corner gets her to within four points.

Second Game: Marin 6 – 11 Saina

Somehow Marin stretches to reache a drop shot from Saina and keep the rally going but a few strokes later finds the net to hand Saina a five-point advantage at the the break.

Second Game: Marin 6- 10 Saina

The pair exhange a couple of brilliant drop shots before Marin wins the point with another smash to the body to stop Saina’s run.

Second Game: Marin 5 – 9 Saina

Saina wins another long rally wiht a brilliant smash down the line from the back of the court that Marin was not expecting and could not reach. Saina inching ahead here but you never know when Marin will suddenly go on one of her runs, as she showed in the semi-finals yesterday.

Second Game: Marin 5 – 8 Saina

Saina not doing enough with the shuttle and Marin moves in smashes straight to the body. But then she makes an error, pushing the shuttle wide, and Saina leads 7-5. This is the point at which Marin went on her run in the previous game. This time Saina extends her lead to three points.

Second Game: Marin 4 – 6 Saina

Saina pushes the shuttle long again after taking a 5-3 lead but then Marin returns the favour by hitting a smash into the net. Saina led by the same score in the first game before Marin took control of it.

Second Game: Marin 2 – 4 Saina

Saina attempting to push the pace more in this second game. Leads 3-1 before Marin wrongfoots Saina with a cross-court smash. The advantage of being a leftie. Then Marin makes a surprising service fault and is called for hitting the shuttle above her waist.

Second Game: Marin 0 – 2 Saina

Saina jumps out to an early, early lead in the second game. She has to find a way to take Marin out of her comfort zone.

First Game: Marin 21 – 16 Saina

Another smash gives Marin seven game points. Saina saves the first three, the last one with a wonderful flick winner off a Marin smash. But a Marin drop shot eventually closes out the game.

First Game: Marin 19 – 13 Saina

Saina pushes the shuttle long again and this time there is no challenge. That was out. Marin then crunches a smash to take the lead back up to six and her to winthin two points of the first game.

First Game: Marin 17 – 13 Saina

But then Saina makes a miscaltulation, letting Marin’s deep push drop into the back corner.

First Game: Marin 16 – 13 Saina

For one of the few times, this game Saina catches Marin out of position with a smahs down the middle and closes the gap to four points. But then Saina misses a push long. She challenges again and wins again as Hawkeye shows the shuttle landed on the edge of the line. Saina has cut Marin’s six-point lead down to three.

First Game: Marin 16 – 10 Saina

Marin comes flying in from the backcourt to push the shuttle past Saina, who is looking worried. Marin has imposed herself on this first game and Saina is just about hanging in there.

First Game: Marin 15 – 10 Saina

An unforced error from Saina draws the fist pump and the scream from Marin. Another mistake from Saina, who misses a drop shot wide, appears to Marin a seven-point lead. But Saina challenges the call and Hawkeye shows the shuttle landed on the line.

First Game: Marin 14 – 9 Saina

Saina wins one point with a smash to the body but Marin pulls off a stunning drop inches from the net that Saina can’t return. Marin has exceptional touch.

First Game: Marin 13 – 8 Saina

Marin quickly ends any thoughts of a Saina run with two quick points. She’s looking like the better player at the moment.

First Game: Marin 11 – 8 Saina

Saina gets a point back after a long rally that she wins with a smash down the line that Marin can’t return. Saina needs to make a run of her own now.

First Game: Marin 11- 7 Saina

Just like that, Marin has won six straight points and takes a four-point lead into the break. She’s moving better and is controlling the points now. Saina needs to do something to disrupt Marin’s rhythm now.

First Game: Marin 8 – 7 Saina

Another error from Saina – she pushes a backhand drop shot wide – gives Marin the lead.