NEW DELHI, Oct 4 Saina Nehwal, seeded to become the first Indian woman to win a Commonwealth gold medal, began the Games by leading her country to an opening day success in its bid to reach the team final.

Nehwal's 21-11, 21-4 win over Mercy Joseph in the home country's 5-0 win over Kenya was a mismatch — but neverthless offered insights into the new sensation's state of mind.

The 20-year-old from Hyderabad is already the first Indian woman to win a Super Series title, the first to win three tournaments in a row on the world circuit, and the first to reach as high as two in the world rankings.

“The stage looked fantastic,” she said of the Siri Fort stadium which houses both the badminton and the squash tournaments.

Results
Mixed team pool
Group 'A'

Malaysia bt Isle of Man 5-0; Australia bt Seychelles 5-0; Nigeria bt Isle of Man 4-1.

Group 'B'

Singapore bt Northern Ireland 5-0; New Zealand bt Jamaica 5-0.

Group 'C'

Canada bt Uganda 5-0; England bt Falkland Islands 5-0.

Group 'D'

Scotland bt Barbados 5-0; India bt Kenya 5-0.—AFP