Nehwal's run to the semi-finals raised a tidal wave of expectation in her home country. -Photo by AFP

LONDON: Top seed Wang Yihan deflated a nation of over a billion people when she thrashed India's strong title hope Saina Nehwal to set up an all-China final in the women's badminton singles on Friday.

Nehwal's run to the semi-finals raised a tidal wave of expectation in her home country and she admitted to suffering an attack of nerves as she crumbled 21-13 21-13, despite the overwhelming support of the Wembley Arena crowd.

China's involvement in a match-throwing scandal that saw eight athletes disqualified this week has overshadowed the tournament and the second women's semi-final between the team's second-seeded Wang Xin and third seed Li Xuerui was played in a strangely subdued atmosphere.

Li prevailed 22-20 21-18 to continue her stunning rise to the pinnacle of world badminton, having come from nowhere to win 30 straight matches in the leadup to the Games. The final will be played on Saturday.

Joachim Fischer and Christinna Pedersen won the mixed doubles bronze for Denmark, trouncing Indonesian pair Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir 21-12 21-12.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

THE FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth ...
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...