Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal survived some anxious moments before getting past qualifier Maja Tvrdy of Slovenia in a thrilling three-game opening tie at the Singapore Open Super Series in Singapore City on Wednesday. Sixth seed Saina came from behind to beat Maja 18-21, 21-11, 21-16 in a 50-minute gruelling battle in their women's singles match.
However, compatriot Aditi Mutatkar suffered a first round defeat against Judith Meulendijks of the Netherlands after she went down 21-14, 21-19 in a just over half an hour clash in another match. It was also curtains for India's mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju as the duo went down to sixth seeded Chinese pair of Zhongbo Xie and Yawen Zhang 21-13, 21-14 in 23 minutes.
Saina said initially she was struggling to adjust to the conditions of the court. "It was a difficult match. She was a solid player. She was better aware about the conditions while I struggled initially. I was making many unforced errors, hitting the shuttle outside and conceded the game," she said.
"But in the second and third game, I could control the shuttle better and I involved her in long rallies. She was finding it difficult and made many unforced errors," Saina added. The 20-year-old Hyderabadi will next face Indonesian Adrianti Firdasari in the second round tomorrow. Firdasari beat qualifier Korean Moon Hi Kim 23-21, 21-15.
"I have played against Firdasari, she is a very good player. Our count so far is 1-1. I had beaten her last year here, while she defeated me in Korea. So I will have to play very well," she said.
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