London: India ace Saina Nehwal crashed out of the All England Open Badminton Championships after losing to world number one and defending champion Chinese Taipei’s Tzu Ying Tai in the first round.
Fourth seed Nehwal was no match for her opponent and lost in straight sets 21-14 and 21-18.
Tzu Ying Tai was overwhelming favourites heading into the match and she lived up to her billing, dismissing the Indian player without much fuss.
She also improved her head-to-head record against Nehwal, winning 10 games against losing five. It was her eighth straight win against the Indian star.
Nehwal’s best effort in the history of the tournament came in 2015 when he lost to Carolina Marin in the final.
