- Two-time bronze medalist Saina faces an uphill task Saturday in Wuhan.
- Saina has not beaten Tai since March 2015 and has lost 10 of their last 11 meetings.
Saina Nehwal faces what is expected to be her toughest test at Badminton Asia Championships as she takes on world number two and defending champion Tai Tzu Ying in the women's singles semi-final in Wuhan, China on Saturday, April 28.
How to watch Saina Nehwal and Tai Tzu Ying in women's singles semi-final live and start time
The much-anticipated semi-final will not start before 5 pm local time, 2:30 pm IST.
DSport will provide live television coverage of Saina's match in India. The semi-final can be watched online on DSport's official website, DSport on Jio TV mobile application.
Saina vs Tai: Semi-final preview
The unseeded Indian shuttler trials 5-10 in their head-to-head meetings. She has not beaten the Chinese Taipei star since March 2015 and has lost 10 of their last 11 matches.
Tai has beaten Saina twice already in 2018 — straight-games win in All England Championship and Indonesia Masters and had arrived in Wuhan on the back of a title-winning run in Birmingham.
If numbers are anything to go by, Tai starts as the overwhelming favorite to reach the final of the ongoing continental competition but Saina will be relying on her renewed confidence to stop the Chinese Taipei win-machine.
Notably, the London Olympic silver medalist is fresh from the success of her gold medal-winning performance in Commonwealth Games earlier this month. Saina was at her best in the final of women's singles in Gold Coast as she decimated compatriot PV Sindhu in straight games.
Saina has stitched a 14-match unbeaten run, which began in Gold Coast. The 28-year-old has not dropped a game yet in the ongoing tournament and has outclassed the likes of Gao Fangjie of China and Lee Jang Mi of South Korea in the previous rounds.
The two-time bronze medalist (2010 and 2016) conceded she has a tough test Saturday but maintained she would give her best against the unstoppable Tai.
Not worried about my opponent: Saina
"It's going to be Tai Tzu Ying in the semi-final, it's a challenge. I have to fight it out. The flow is coming back. I'm happy with the way I'm moving. The confidence is coming back," Saina was quoted as saying by BWF's official website.
"I'm not worried about who I'm playing, just want to play all my shots. You can't always be careful about how you're playing, you just have to play all your shot."
BAC 2018: Global live stream and TV listings
Malaysia: Astro Supersport 3; Live stream: Astro Go
Singapore: Hub Sports
China: CCTV 5+
