The World No.9 Saina lost 9-21, 12-21 in the women’s singles clash that lasted just 24 minutes to make an early exit from the tournament.
However, in men’s singles, Saina’s husband and personal coach Parupalli Kashyap registered a comfortable straight-game victory over Thailand’s Sitthikom Thammasin.
The Indian outsmarted his Thai opponent 21-14, 21-13 in 43 minutes. He will face seventh seed Victor Axelson of Denmark in the second round.
The mixed doubles pair of Pranav Jerry Chopra and Sikki Reddy also made a first-round exit.
The duo went down 14-21, 14-21 to Wang Chi-Lin and Cheng Chi Ya of Chinese Taipei.