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Quarter-finals result: Indian star Saina Nehwal defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in straight games to enter the semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters badminton tournament on Friday. The eighth-seeded London Olympics bronze medallist took just 33 minutes to carve out a comprehensive 21-7, 21-18 victory over her unseeded Thai opponent. Nehwal will take on sixth seed He Bingjiao of China for a place in the final. Bingjiao defeated compatriot Chen Xiaoxin in the last-eight stage. It was, however, curtains for PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth. Sindhu crashed out following a loss to reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain while Srikanth lost to Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. The second-seeded Sindhu struggled to match the fifth-seeded Marin, going down 11-21, 12-21 after a 37-minute battle. Srikanth, on the other hand, lost 18-21, 19-21 to Asian Games champion Christie in the men’s singles match.
Highlights, Indonesia Masters 2019 results: India's Saina Nehwal battles past He Bingjiao to enter final
Catch the live scores and updates of the Indonesia Masters as Saina Nehwal takes on He Bingjiao in the semi-finals
 "Highlights, Indonesia Masters 2019 results: India's Saina Nehwal battles past He Bingjiao to enter final")
Saina Nehwal is through to the final
She is a fighter. She just wouldn’t give up. Also, not at her favourite venue.
The Indian ace battles past He Bingjiao 18-21, 21-12, 21-18 in a thrilling match to reach the title clash. It was a great exhibition of attack and defence from both the players, but in the end, it was Saina’s aggressive approach that prevailed.
Nehwal 20-18 Bingjiao
The Chinese shuttler’s net play hits the tape, leaving Saina an easy tap-in to close in on the first match point.
Nehwal 19-16 Bingjiao
Oh, what a turnaround! An aggressive-looking Saina wraps up three consecutive points to take the lead. That was classic Saina Nehwal.
Nehwal 16-17 Bingjiao
Saina challenges…. and she is successful. Bingjiao dispatched a perfect smash but it landed wide.
Make that 17-17, Saina is all pumped up now!
Nehwal 14-15 Bingjiao
The Chinese shuttler has found enough angles to hit smashes down the line. Now Saina must counter-attack or forget about stopping Bingjiao.
Nehwal 13-13 Bingjiao
There’s no way you can separate the two shuttlers here. Both have shown great balance to maintain the pressure.
Could Saina use her experience to tame the Chinese or will BIngjiao snatch the tie with her attacking masterclass?
Bingjiao staging a comeback?
He Bingjiao wins five straight points to take a 11-10 lead at the mid-game interval of the deciding game
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) January 26, 2019
Nehwal has been stretched at the backcourt. Trouble?
LIVE: https://t.co/95kpRQJSxB#IndonesiaMasters2019
Nehwal 10-6 Bingjiao
Saina hasn’t let her opponent to attack so far. Bingjiao seems a little restricted due to Saina’s quick forehand drives.
Nehwal 7-4 Bingjiao
It’s all about Saina’s movement during the tiring rallies. She is successfully striking winners from angles to bag quick points.
Nehwal 5-2 Bingjiao
Saina’s approach has been brilliant since the second game. The Indian isn’t rushing at the net or pushing Bingjiao towards the backcourt. She is just looking for an opening to hit a winner. Smart move.
Nehwal 2-2 Bingjiao
It’s neck-and-neck in the decider. It looked like an easy contest for Saina but Bingjiao just won’t give up.
Nehwal makes it 1-1
It’s one game apiece in the semi-final clash between Saina Nehwal and He Bingjiao. Saina had complete control of the shots and had placed herself perfectly to play rallies. A much better show from the former champion, who had lost focus in the first game.
Nehwal 19-10 Bingjiao
Saina uses her powerful weapon – half smash. Bingjiao may be nice and quick to the net but she does not have answers to Saina’s explosive attack.
Nehwal 17- 8 Bingjiao
A cheeky crosscourt slice to take Bingjiao by surprise. Even Parupalli Kashyap looks amazed. That net play was incredibly accurate.
Nehwal 13-7 Bingjiao
There is a little bit of drift which has now come into play. Saina and Bingjiao will look to make full use of it in the second game. She has a comfortable lead
In case if you are wondering, that’s vintage Saina for you.
That was really quick!
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) January 26, 2019
Saina Nehwal dominates He Bingjiao in the early exchanges of the second game to lead 11-3 at the break
A much better attacking performance by the Indian ace
LIVE: https://t.co/95kpRQJSxB#IndonesiaMasters2019
Nehwal 9-3 Bingjiao
A big lead for Saina now. She is pulling Bingjiao towards the net. Great strategy by the Indian to unsettle the twinkle-toed Chinese shuttler.
Nehwal 5-3 Bingjiao
There were a lot of attacking strokes on display during the early exchanges in the second game. Saina will force Bingjiao to play more at the net to take control.
Bingjiao 1-0 Nehwal
The young Chinese takes the first game 21-18 against a tired-looking Saina Nehwal. The Indian cruised for the major part of the game only to succumb to Bingjiao’s crosscourt masterclass after the mid-game interval
Also, Saina squandered a 16-10 lead!
Nehwal 18-18 Bingjiao
Oh, well. The Chinese shuttler levels the scores. Saina seems to have lost focus towards the end of the game.
Nehwal 18-16 Bingjiao
Bingjiao has started to attack from all corners but she will have to bag points quickly. Saina is capable of handling the pressure in such situations.
Nehwal 16-14 Bingjiao
That’s four straight points for Bingjiao as Saina makes a rare blip at the net. She is closing the gap on Saina’s lead.
Nehwal 16-10 Bingjiao
Smashes and clean returns. Saina has kept it simple so far coupled with superb court coverage. A six-point lead for the Indian ace now.
Nehwal 13-9 Bingjiao
Saina is now looking to target the backhand side of her Chinese counterpart. The rallies are looking longer too. Here’s when Bingjiao will be tested.
Saina is cruising ahead at the moment
.@NSaina is in action against sixth seed He Bingjao of China in the women's singles semi-finals
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) January 26, 2019
This is the first meeting between the two shuttlers
LIVE: https://t.co/95kpRQJSxB#IndonesiaMasters2019 pic.twitter.com/WJJQxRzhYu
Nehwal 8-6 Bingjiao
Saina is getting behind every shuttle now. She has followed the trajectory of the shuttle to hit push clears. Simple play yet difficult for Bingjiao to match up.
Nehwal 5-5 Bingjiao
And the Indian has leveled the scores with a few crosscourt shots from the mid-court area. The eighth seed is hitting high rallies to get into the groove.
Nehwal 2-5 Bingjiao
Saina has been struggling to move around the back of the court. She is still not completely fit after injuring her knee back in November.
Nehwal 1-3 Bingjiao
The Chinese uses her strong net shots to take an early lead against Saina Nehwal. This approach could trouble the Indian ace.
Saina vs He Bingjiao
Interestingly, these two have never faced each other before. Saina and He were stretched to three games in the opening game but wrapped up the second and third round matches in straight games en route last-four.
Saina vs He Bingjiao
The first women’s singles semi-final feature Saina against Chinese left-hander, He Bingjiao, who comfortably eliminated her giant-killing compatriot, Chen Xiaoxin, by a 21-18, 21-14 scoreline, in the day’s shortest encounter, lasting a mere 26 minutes. Xiaoxin had claimed the prized scalp of top-seeded Okuhara in straight games on Wednesday, but could not counter the smooth all-around strokeplay of her fellow-countrywoman.
At 28 years of age, Saina concedes a seven-year age advantage to Bingjiao, and could find it difficult to match the Chinese southpaw’s speed. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) records surprisingly show that the two have never clashed with each other earlier, even though Bingjiao has crossed swords with another Indian circuit ‘regular’, Sindhu, on 13 occasions, and leads their rivalry 8-5.
Saina would do well to harness her rich experience and gain swift mental ascendancy over Bingjiao before the match is too many points old – as she had done so well against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of the host nation on Thursday. A slow, uncertain start, as she had experienced in her opening match against another Indonesian, Dinar Dyah Ayustine, could prove fatal to her hopes of making the final at this Indonesia Masters.
Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s live coverage of Indonesia Masters 2019. India’s Saina Nehwal takes the court in the semi-finals against China’s He Bingjiao today. PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth were sent packing yesterday.
Stay tuned for all the live updates.
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