KUALA LUMPUR (10 May 2010) - Both India and Malaysia made it all too easy in their respective opening matches of the Uber Cup when they overwhelmed their opponents with the same 5-0 score line in the evening match at the Putra Stadium.
Saina Nehwal opened India’s campaign in Group D against South Africa with an easy 21-8, 21-8 win over Kerry-Lee Harrington before Adit Mutatkar then raked up the second point with a 21-5, 21-6 victory over Stacey Doubell.
The third singles Trupti Murgunde then gave India an unassailable lead with the third point when she won her game 21-10, 21-9 past Jade Morgan.
The South Africans tried to give some semblance of a fight back in the doubles but the pair of Doubell-Harrington were just no match for Shruti Kurian-Aparta Balan when they went down 21-13, 21-10.
By then, the game is already over as the final double of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnapa then wrapped up things up with the final point.
The loss spell the end of the road for South Africa while for India, they will face South Korea tomorrow to decide the group winner.
In the meantime, Malaysia also scored an easy 5-0 win over the United States with Wong Mew Choo up against Rena Wang to win 21-7, 21-10 before Tee Jing Yee in the second singles picked up the second point for the hosts with a 21-12, 21-14 demolition of Eva Lee.
Ketpura Cee puts up more of a resistance in the third singles but in spite of battling to close to an hour, she still could not get the better of Malaysia’s Sonia Cheah losing 21-16, 16-21, 21-9.
The first doubles of Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui were in fine form to win their game 21-9, 21-8 as Woon Khee Wei-Ng Hui Ling then picked up the final point in the game with a hard-fought 21-17, 22-24, 21-14 win over Eva Lee-Mangkalakiri Mesinee.
With the win, Malaysia will play China tomorrow after both teams have already qualified for the quarter-finals.
