'I failed to handle pressure', says Saina Nehwal

Badminton ace Saina Nehwal said she couldn't handle the pressure properly which led to her defeat in the All England Badminton Championship final.

World No. 3 Nehwal lost to World No. 6 Carolina Marin 21-16, 14-21, 7-21 in the final. After making a fantastic start and wresting the first game, Nehwal faced a remarkable resurgence from the Spaniard, who won both the games.

"May be at some point in time I couldn't handle the pressure properly and it just went away from my hand. The first game was quite good. I started off very well. But I think she was also in a good form and she gave me a very tough fight. Finally, it is a game and it obviously is going to be challenging," Nehwal said.

Nehwal, who has at least 16 international titles in her kitty, was satisfied with her run at the tournament and hoped for better results in the future.

"I am number three in the world. Hopefully I will get number two next week. So, there is a lot of improvement and I am taking a lot of positive out of it. I hope that I continue this and get some good result in the future," she added.

Nehwal squandered 6-1 lead in the second set before losing 21-16, 14-21,7-21 to the Spanish opponent, which ultimately ended her hopes of becoming the first Indian women to win the prestigious All-England Championship.