Saina Nehwal in the second round after opponent retires

London 2012 bronze medallist Saina Nehwal moved into the women’s singles second round at the India Open 2022 in New Delhi on Wednesday after her Czech opponent Tereza Svabikova was forced to withdraw with an injury midway through their match.

Heading into the match at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, the world No. 19 Saina Nehwal, seeded fourth in the tournament, was an overwhelming favorite over the Czech Republic player, ranked 142nd in the world.

However, with Saina Nehwal making a return to competitive action after almost three months on the sidelines, the Indian seemed rusty and Tereza Svabikova almost made a match out of it.

Saina Nehwal’s last outing was at the French Open in October 2021, where she had to retire with an injury midway through her round of 32 matches.

The Indian shuttler started well and raced to a 7-2 lead in the first game but dropped off midway through to allow Tereza Svabikova a chance. The Czech player made good use of the opportunity to level up the score and even took the lead late on.

Trailing 20-19, though, Saina Nehwal regained her composure and saved a game point before closing the game 22-20.

A point into the second game, though, Tereza Svabikova had to retire with an injury, handing Saina Nehwal the win.https://d-15706193362648468561.ampproject.net/2112231523001/frame.html

In the next round, Saina Nehwal will play Malvika Bansod, who downed Samiya Imad Farooqui 21-18, 21-9 in the opening round.

Saina Nehwal’s fellow Indian Olympic medallist PV Sindhu had eased into the second round on Tuesday. The two can only meet in the final.

Meanwhile, in women’s doubles, the second-seeded Indian pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy defeated countrywomen Janani Ananthakumar and Divya R. Balasubramanian 21-7, 19-21, 21-13 to progress.

In men’s singles, HS Prannoy cruised into the second round with a convincing 21-14, 21-7 win over Spain’s Pablo Abian. The eight-seeded HS Prannoy will next face Indian compatriot Mithun Manjunath, who defeated France’s Arnaud Merkle 21-16, 15-21, 21-10 in his first-round match.

World championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, the third seed at India Open 2022, also cruised past Egypt’s Adham Hatem Elgamal 21-15, 21-7 in his opening match.