JOIN USRio Olympic champion Carolina Marin crushed Indian ace Saina Nehwal as Hyderabad Hunters drubbed Awadhe Warriors 6-(-1) in their Premier Badminton League match at the Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.
The Spanish left-hander proved too good for Saina as she won 15-5, 15-7 in a jiffy. It was Hunters' trump match and they built a 5-(-1) lead. Hunters later won the mixed doubles encounter to register a clean sweep. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Pia Zebediah outplayed Hendra Setiawan and Christinna Pedersen 15 -9, 15-9.
Earlier, world No 16 Sai Praneeth posted a stunning 15-10, 15-10 victory over compatriot and World No 3 Kidambi Srikanth in the Warriors' trump match. Praneeth was completely dominant in the match and after the initial burst of points from Srikanth, it was Praneeth who controlled the opening game with his precision.
In the second game, Praneeth was playing like a man possessed and raced to an 8-0 lead. Though Srikanth did very well to reduce the gap and take points, the Hyderabadi sealed the match.
Earlier, World No 18 Lee Hyun Il of Korea registered a thrilling 13-15, 15-9, 15-14 win against Parupalli Kashyap to give Hunters a 2-0 lead.
Kashyap started on a high note with his power smashes proving no match for the 37-year-old Korean. Even though the Lee gave him a tough fight it was the Indian who bagged the opening game.
In the second game, Lee got his act together and was quick off the blocks to head into the interval with an 8-3 lead. After the breather, Kashyap won three points on the trot to reduce the lead and then used his experience to prevail.
Hyderabad won the first point of the day after their men's doubles pair of Markis Kido/Yoo Yeon Seong edged Ching Chung/Tang Chun Man 14-15, 15-6, 15-11.