Diju-Jwala crash out of Singapore Open

Singapore: V Diju and Jwala Gutta lost a golden opportunity to make the last four of the Li Ning Singapore Open Superseries when they were beaten in three games by second seeds Chen Hung Ling and Cheng Wen Hsing. The Indians won the first game easily but were outplayed by the Chinese Taipei pair in the next two.

The defeat brought an end to the Indian challenge in Singapore.

The Indians took off in great style, and it looked like they were headed to an easy win. Jwala imposed herself at the net, while Diju looked in sublime touch from the back and fired in winners at ease. Most of the rallies were over quickly as the Indians poked holes in their opponents’ defence.

The early part of the second game undid the Indians. They were rusty to begin with, and several unforced errors flowed from their rackets. Diju was surprisingly caught a couple of times by drop shots from the deep, while Cheng Wen Hsing, having conceded the net to Jwala in the first game, regained control. The Taipei pair looked sharp, with Chen Hung Ling expertly controlling the game from the back, and surprising the Indians by suddenly shifting his line of attack.

The pattern continued into the third set, but the Indians tightened up their game, and it was a close battle. Both teams remained within a point of each other until 12, and then the Chinese Taipei pair reeled off four points in a row. The Indians saved two match points but could not stop the third.