Saina breaks heart, loses finals of world badminton championship, settles for silver

It was heartbreak for Saina Nehwal and her fans as the Indian badminton ace lost the women's singles final to Spanish top seed and title holder Carolina Marin to settle for the silver at the World Championships here on Sunday.

Carolina took just a minute less than an hour to beat the Indian second seed 21-16, 21-19 at the 9,000-seater Istora Senayan. This was the World No.1 Spaniard's second consecutive win over Saina in five career meetings.

Though Carolina won the first point of the match, constant errors made sure World No.2 Saina had the lead in the earlier stages of the first game.

The Spaniard drew level at 7-all. But from there, it was just a one way show as the 22-year-old Carolina kept earning points via several winners, something that Saina was unable to halt.

Both shuttlers displayed brilliant athleticism but when it came to winning the long rallies and points at the net, the top seed proved far better than the Indian.