Saina, who was carrying a knee injury into the quadrennial sports spectacle, lost to lower ranked rival Maria Ulitina from Ukraine to make a shock exit.
The only bright spots on an otherwise gloomy day, with setbacks coming thick and fast from various quarters, were provided by shuttlers K Srikanth and P V Sindhu who atoned somewhat for Saina's exit by reaching the pre-quarterfinals from their respective groups in men's and women's singles.
To add insult to injury, the men's hockey squad, which had qualified for the knock-out phase after 36 years, was bundled out of the competition by Belgium which inflicted a 1-3 come-from-behind victory.
The shooters continued to misfire as rifle shooters Gagan Narang and Chain Singh failed to make the final of the 50m 3-position event, finishing a lowly 23rd and 33rd respectively, to end the country's dismal campaign.
Boxer Manoj Kumar lost 0-3 to Uzbek rival Fazliddin Gaibnazarov in the light welter (64kg) pre-quarterfinal bout.
The biggest talking point on the disastrous day was the shock ouster of world no. 5 Saina, who created history four years ago in London by winning a bronze medal which was the first by an Indian in the sport.
She lost 18-21 19-21 to world no. 61 Ulitina in a match that lasted 39 minutes and later revealed that she played with pain in her knee.
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