Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal saw her third successive semifinal defeat on Saturday, losing to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the Malaysia Open. Recently recovered from an ankle injury, she lost 19-21, 13-21. So far, the Indian World No. 8 has lost seven of the 12 matches against Tai Tzu, including the quarterfinal of the All England Open last month, PTI reported. Her earlier semifinal losses were in the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold and Indian Open Super Series.

The Chinese Taipei player, who stands in the ninth position in world rankings, dominated most of the game. With far too many unforced errors, Nehwal's inconsistent performance was no match for Tai Tzu's fast-paced rallies. Nehwal will next be seen competing at the Singapore Open, which starts from April 12 in Singapore City.