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Updated January 13th, 2022 at 14:00 IST

Saina Nehwal crashes out of India Open 2022, loses to Malvika Bansod in just 34 minutes

The London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal kickstarted her India Open 2022 campaign with a win over Czech Republic’s Tereza Svabikova in Round 1.

Reported by: Suraj Alva
Saina Nehwal exits from India Open 2022
Image: BAI Media/ Twitter | Image:self
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Saina Nehwal's India Open 2022 journey was short-lived after she crashed out of the tournament in the second round.  The former World No 1 was one of the favourites for the title until Malvika Bansod ended her journey in just 34 minutes. Malvika Bansod won the match 21-17, 21-9 to create the first major upset of the India Open 2022 tournament.

Saina Nehwal crashes out of the India Open 2022

On Wednesday, the London Olympics bronze medallist kickstarted her India Open 2022 campaign with a win over Czech Republic’s Tereza Svabikova in ROund 1. The Czech player had to retire hurt at the start of the second game when Saina was leading the match 22-20, 1-0. Malvika Bansod who is considered as the upcoming talent on the Indian Badminton got the better of Samiya Imad Farooqui 21-18, 21-9 in her opening round before ending Saina Nehwal's campaign. 

COVID-19 hits India Open 2022, big names withdraw from the tournament 

Before Saina Nehwal's exit in the second round of the India Open 2022, the tournament saw big names withdrawing themselves from the event due to COVID-19 issues. Some of the big names to have withdrawn from the tournament include Saina Nehwal's compatriot Kidambi Srikanth, Siki Reddy, Ashwini Ponappa and young players like Ritika Thakkar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Singh and Khushi Gupta. The India Open badminton tournament, a BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament, is back after a two-year gap due to the coronavirus pandemic.  India open 2022 will take place in India from 11 January – 16 January 2022.  

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Published January 13th, 2022 at 14:00 IST

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