London, July 29 (IANS) Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal started her Olympics campaign with a win while the mixed doubles pair of Jawala Gutta and V.Diju jeopardised their chances of making the knockout round at the 2012 London Olympics here Sunday.
Switzerland’s Sabrina Jaquet, the World No.65, proved no match for Saina, World No.5, as the latter romped to a straight games win in the women’s singles event. Saina thrashed the Swiss 21-9, 21-4 in 24 minutes in a Group E match at the Wembley Arena and looks good to move to the knock-out stage.
In the mixed doubles, it wasn’t a great outing for Jwala and Diju as they suffered their second successive defeat. The Indians lost to Danish Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl in straight games, 12-21, 16-21, in a Group C match.
The gloom in the badminton camp was lifted after Saina won her first match. Saina started well in the first game as she took an early lead of 12 points. However, Sabrina earned earned a few points back but was too late and the Hyderabadi shuttler took the game 21-9.
The second game was completely one-sided as the fourth seeded Saina took an early 11-1 lead and finished 21-4 in just ten minutes. She will next face Belgian World No.55 Lianna Tan in her last group match who will be playing her for the first time.
Jwala and Diju, World No. 13, were no match for their eighth-ranked opponents in the first game, losing it in 13 minutes. They put up a better show in the second but it wasn’t enough to trouble the Danes.
Jwala-Diju play South Korea’s Jung Eun Ha and Yong Dae Lee in their must win final group game Tuesday. However, winning the game will not confirm their chances of making the quarterfinals.
