Saina in line for hat-trick of titles at Indonesian Open Super Series

Indias top shuttler Saina Nehwal moved a step closer to defending her Indonesian Open Super Series title as she reached the semifinals.

Indias top shuttler Saina Nehwal moved a step closer to defending her Indonesian Open Super Series title as she reached the semifinals with a straight-game victory over Denmarks Tine Baun on Friday.

The fourth seed Indian registered a hard-fought 21-19 21-19 win over Tine,seeded eighth,in a match that lasted for 37 minutes.

The 21-year-old Indian will now take on Chinese Taipeis Shao Chieh Cheng in the semifinals on Saturday. Unseeded Shao beat seventh seed Xin Liu 21-17 21-15 in another quarterfinal match.

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Saina has lost two close matches against the Dane in their previous two encounters but this time the world No 4 made sure that she doesnt fall in the same trap and raised her game during crucial moments to wrest initiative.

Saina had opened a three-point lead initially but Tine reeled off seven straight points to zoom to 10-6 but the Indian caught up with the Dane at 12-all and after a neck-and-neck battle kept her upper hand to pocket the first game.

The second game was a rollercoaster ride for Saina as leads exchanged hands frequently,though the Indian had a 4-1 lead initially. The girl from Hyderabad finally broke the norm from 17-all and reached 20-18. Though Dane saved a match point,it was over soon.

The 2008 and 2010 All England Championships winner,Tine had beaten Saina at the All England Super Series in 2010 and Hong Kong Super Series in 2007.