Saina Nehwal wins bronze after opponent pulls out

Earlier Saina Nehwal created history by becoming the first Indian shuttler to reach the semifinals of the Olympics

Hyderabad|India|August'2012: Saina Nehwal created history by becoming the first Indian shuttler to reach the semifinals of the Olympics.

The 22-year-old fourth seeded Saina warmed the hearts of her fans with a 21 -15, 22-20 win over fifth-seed former World No 1 Dane Tine Baun at the
Wembley Arena.World No 5 Saina took only 39 minutes to pack off the 33-year-old veteran Baun, a two-time winner of the All England championship, and came closer to a medal.

With this win, the Hyderabadi also bettered her quarterfinal finish at the Beijing Games four years ago and also excorcised the demons of her painful defeat to Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia in the quarterfinals.

Saina Nehwal was beaten in straight games by world No 1 Yihan Wang in the women's singles semi-finals at the London Olympics but then she went on to win India its third medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, after being declared the winner in the women's badminton play-off for the bronze medal after her Chinese opponent Wang Xin withdrew with an injured knee.

The Chief Minister Mr.N.Kiran Kumar Reddy congratulated Saina Nehwal for winning the 1st Olympic medal in badminton for India. The Chief Minister said that by winning the Olympic bronze medal, Saina Nehwal has done not only proud for India but for Andhra Pradesh. In a special message to Saina Nehwal, Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy said "my hearty congratulations. I join the people of Andhra Pradesh in congratulating you for winning the Olympic bronze medal. Well done. Keep it up". The Chief Minister hoped Saina Nehwal, a most dedicated player will bring more laurels to the nation in the coming days.