Saina Nehwal goes down fighting in Kuala Lumpur

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal played her heart out but eventually ran out of steam as Frenchwoman Hongyan Pi beat her in a gruelling quarter-final encounter of the Malaysian Super Series here yesterday.

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal played her heart out but eventually ran out of steam as Frenchwoman Hongyan Pi beat her in a gruelling quarter-final encounter of the Malaysian Super Series here yesterday.

The Indian, ranked number 10 in the world, went down 17-21 26-24 16-21 to Pi, whom she had beaten in the World Super Series last month, after a nerve-wracking 56-minute battle.

Saina will next play in the Korea Super Series from January 13-18 next week.