Denmark Open 2019, Saina Nehwal vs Sayaka Takahashi: Where to watch, TV schedule, live stream details and more

Former champion Saina Nehwal will begin her hunt for a second title at the Denmark Open when she takes on Japan's World No. 11 Sayaka Takahashi today.

This Super 750 tournament is crucial for the eighth seed who has been struggling with form and fitness for the better part of the year. While Nehwal began the season on a brilliant note by triumphing at the Indonesia Masters, it just went downhill for her since then. Intermittent injuries prevented her from building on her good run and she has failed to make an impact ever since she came back from her latest injury layoff.

When the former World No. 1 returned to the BWF circuit after a nearly three-months-long hiatus, her campaign at the Thailand Open was cut short in the second round by none other than Takahashi. It was the Japanese shuttler's only win over Nehwal in five meetings.

Saina has not been successful in stringing together more than one win at a tournament since coming back. In her last outing at the Korea Open, she even had to retire from her first-round match, which is an even bigger worrying sign.

Having said that, the 29-year-old is still the favourite on paper in this clash but given how she has performed in the last few weeks, it is hard to predict a win for her. It is still expected that the rest she got after the Asian swing has done her a world of good and that she should be raring to go in Odense this week.