Saina creates history, enters BWF Super Series final

New Delhi: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday created history by becoming the first Indian singles player to reach the summit clash of the BWF Super Series Finals after defeating Tine Baun of Denmark in the semi-finals at Liuzhou in China.

World number four Saina beat number five Baun 21-17, 21-18 in 34 minutes to set up a summit clash on Sunday against China's world number one Yihan Wang who defeated compatriot and world number three Xin Wang in the other semi-final.

Jwala Gutta and V Diju are the only other Indians to have achieved the feat when the mixed doubles pair reached the Super Series Finals in the 2009 edition of the tournament before losing to Christinna Pedersen and Joaquim Nielsen.

Saina, who had topped Group B round-robin league, could not dominate her opponent in smash and net play and lagged behind marginally. But the Indian ran away winners as she did overwhelmingly better in the rallies from which she won most of the points.

The Indian had eight smash winners against Baun's nine and 11 net winners to the Dane's 12. In rallies, Saina collected 23 winners as against 14 by Baun.

The first game was a see-saw affair with both the players leading in turns until 14-14. Saina then zoomed ahead with four straight points before pocketing the game 21-17.

In the second game, Saina was never behind after trailing 1-2 initially. Both the players were level at 11-11 and then 13-13 before the Indian surged ahead again just like in the first game to take 19-14 lead.

At this point, Saina seemed to have slackened a bit and that allowed Baun to come back into the match at 18-19. But that turned out to be the last desperate attempt for Baun as Saina wrapped up the second game 21-18 and the match by taking two consecutive points. — PTI

Saina ousted, jwala-ashwini ENTER SEMIS TO SCRIPT HISTORY

LONDON: India’s World No 6 Saina Nehwal’s quarter-final jinx continued as she lost to China’s World No 3 Wang Xin in the World Championships art the Wembley Arena here yesterday. Saina, who also stumbled at this very stage in the last two editions of the tournament, went down 15-21, 10-21.

However, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa made history by becoming India’s first-ever women’s doubles pair to reach the last four stage of the World Championships. The Commonwealth Games gold medallists beat the 12th seed Indonesian pair of Vita Marissa and Nadya Melati

17-21 21-10 21-17 in a keenly fought 47-minute encounter. The World No 21 duo next take on fifth seeds Qing Tian and Yunlei Zhao of China, who edged out fourth seeds Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa of Japan 21-16 21-10 in their quarter-final match yesterday. — Agencies

Saina loses Indonesia Open Final

JAKARTA: India's Saina Nehwal went down to Chinese Yihan Wang 21-12, 21-23, 14-21 in a gruelling tussle in the final of the Indonesia Open Super Series badminton on Sunday.

Fourth-seed Saina was a point away from clinching her third successive Indonesia Open title but she squandered a matchpoint at 20-19, Wang roared her way back into the match that lasted a little over an hour.

Nevertheless, the runners up position will give much-needed boost to Saina, 21, who has not had a good run recently and has been toubled by her knee.

She lost in the quarterfinals in the Thailand Open and then made a second round exit in teh Singapore Open, where she was the defending champion.

On Sunday, World No. 4 Saina, egged on by a vociferous crowd, began the final with a flourish. She kept herself ahead of the World No.3, who beat the Indian in the Uber Cup this year.

Saina was patient in constructing the points and clinical with the finish. She kept Wang guessing with her change of pace and moved her all around the court.

Saina used the cross-court shots to perfection. She opened up a 9-6 lead, but Wang levelled. Saina kept the pressure on Wang. From 12-12, the Indian surged ahead to take the lead.

Wang engaged Saina in long ralies in the second game and that paid off. The Chinese established a 10-7 lead.

Saina did not allow the gap to widen and made a strong return to level 19-19 much to the surprise of Wang.

The Indian could not convert the match point and Wang was quick to pounce on the opportunity and level the match in her second game point.

Wang grew in confidence in the third game and stroked with precision. Her down the line shots were effective.

Saina initially led 7-4 before Wang twice won six points at a stretch. Down 6-9, the Chinese moved ahead to lead 12-9.

When Saina caught up with her, she again reeled off six points to lead 18-12 and crossed the finishing line.

The title was Wang's second Super Series Premier title of the year. She had earlier won the Korea Open.

Saina's only title this year has been the Swiss Open Grand Prix with two runners up finishes at Malaysia and now Indonesia.

Saina got her touch back on her favourite turf. She beat Tine Baun in the quarterfinal which was her first win over the Dane in three meetings.

She then defeated giant-killer Cheng Shao Chieh in the semifinal. The Chinese Taipei player had upset top seed Shixian Wang of China in the second round and also defeated Saina in the Singapore Open last week.

Saina ousted, India's campaign ends in All England

It was supposed to be her best chance of winning the coveted title but Saina Nehwal let it slip as she went down in straight games to unseeded Japanese Eriko Hirose in the quarterfinals of the prestigious All England Badminton Championship here.

The fifth-seeded Saina, who was expected to win at the event given teh absence of some top Chinese players, lost 21-11 22-20 to her little-known Japanese rival yesterday. The match was contested evenly to start with but Hirose, who was a semifinalist at the event once before as well, took control by breaking through the rallies that Saina generally wraps up in her favour.

Saina came back in the second game and it went neck and neck but the Indian ultimately fell short as Hirose held her nerves to clinch the issue. With Saina's loss, India's campaign at the event ended as all her compatriots had already crashed out in previous rounds. —PTI

Saina storms into All England quarters, all other Indians out Birmingham

Title contender Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal stormed into the quarterfinals of the All England Badminton Championships women's single competition with a straight-set victory over her Chinese Taipei opponent here.


In pic: Saina Nehwal in action

Saina, seeded fifth in the prestigious tournament, beat unseeded Tzu Ying Tai 21-17 21-17 in a second round match that lasted 30 minutes. In the quarterfinals, she will meet Eriko Hirose of Japan who beat Salakjit Ponsana of Thailand 21-13 18-21 21-13 in another round two match last night. Saina dominated her rival at the nets and in smashes and in both the sets she was the one who made the final flourish after a stiff contest.

The first set saw neck-on-neck tussle between the two as they were 8-8 and then 14-14. But after that, Saina won five consecutive points to race to 19-14 before taking the set. In the second set also, there was a stiff fight from the Chinese Taipei player and the two were locked 17-17 before Saina took four consecutive points to wrap up the match.

Saina now remained the only Indian shuttler left in the tournament as all her compatriots have already crashed out. In the mixed doubles, V Diju and Jwala Gutta lost to fifth seeded Chinese pair of Tao Jiaming and Qing Tian 11-21 12-21 in a round two match. In the women's doubles also, Indian duo of Gutta and Ashiwni Ponnappa suffered heartbreak as they lost to Denmark's Line Damkjaer Kruse and Marie Roepke 17-21 21-19 21-18 in a hard-fought second round match that lasted 53 minutes.

In the men's doubles, Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas lost to eighth seeded Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Bona Septano 16-21 16-21 in the second round. In men's singles, P Kashyap, Anand Pawar and Ajay Jayaram had already crashed out of the tournament in the first round. —PTI

Saina in second round of All England

India's ace shutter Saina Nehwal got past Seung Hee Bae of South Korea 21-13, 21-16 to enter the second round of the women's singles event at the All England Badminton Championships.


In pic: Saina Nehwal in action

World No.5 Saina won the first set comfortably but toiled hard in the second as she faced problems in adjusting to the drift at the National Indoor Arena here Wednesday. The Indian next faces Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei.

"I was making a lot of mistakes initially. I was not able to adjust to the drift which was on either side of the court. It was quite unusual to see that because normally it is fast on one side and slow on the other," said Saina after the match.

Saina has an easier draw in the tournament after World No.2 Wang Yihan of China pulled out at the last minute due to injury.

Meanwhile, it was disappointment for India in the other matches.

Parupalli Kashyap, Ajay Jayaram and Anand Pawar lost their opening round matches in the men's singles. —IANS

Saina requests BWF to conduct video conference

Ace India shuttler Saina Nehwal has requested the Badminton World Federation to conduct a video conference after the BWF insisted her to meet the media even if she misses the Super Series Finals in Chinese Taipei due to injury.



The BWF has accepted Saina's plea for injury as the reason for skipping the season-ending championship, which is an exclusive event for the top-eight players in Super Series rankings but still asked her to meet the media in person before the start of the tournament.

The world number four Indian had pulled out of the USD 500,000 Super Series Finals to be played between January 5 and 9 because of a ligament injury in her left leg. On Friday, Saina, who is placed seventh in the Super Series standings, sent all the relevant documents, including the medical certificates in order to avoid the new fine of USD 5,000 for not participating in the event.

"The international body accepted the letter and the documents but asked Saina to travel to Chinese Taipei for two days on January 3," Saina's father Harvir Singh told PTI. "She has not recovered from her injury and won't be able to travel so we have requested the BWF to arrange a video conference instead. We are waiting for a response for them now," he added.

In case, BWF declines the request, Saina will have to pay the fine of USD 5,000 for failing to show up at the tournament. "It all depends on the BWF now. They have asked her to be present their to perhaps address the media regarding her injury. If she doesn't go and if BWF declines her request then, she will have to pay the USD 5000 fine," Punnaiah Choudary, a senior official of Badminton Association of India, said. "Nothing is in our hand. We will go by the BWF norms," he added.

The BWF had amended its regulation last month and imposed a penalty of USD 5000 instead of the previous meagre USD 250 fine for pulling out of the Super Series Finals. The decision was taken in the wake of the rampant pullouts by top shuttlers citing mild injuries. Saina had injured her leg during the final of the Hong Kong Super Series and skipped the Indian Open Grand Prix in Hyderabad this month at the last minute fearing it might aggravate her injury. -PTI

Kalmadi congratulates Saina Nehwal

New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi today congratulated ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal for winning her third Super Series title of the year at the Hong Kong Open at Wanchai. "I would like to congratulate Saina Nehwal for raising the bar yet again by becoming the first Indian badminton player to win three Super Series events in a row. She has kept Indian flag fluttering on badminton circuit. In fact, she is an ambassador not only for badminton but also for Olympic sport," Kalmadi said.

In pic: Saina Nehwal flaunts her gold medal after winning the Hong Kong Open badminton Super Series/AP

Kalmadi was all praise for Saina's streak of triumphs in top-flight competitions and said her feat would inspire youngsters to bring laurels for the country. "Her streak of 15 successive victories in three Super Series events Singapore, Indonesia and now Hong Kong after her loss in All-England semifinal is a reflection of her single-minded quest for excellence. She has been among the most consistent performers in Indian sport this year, winning the Indian Open Grand Prix and the gold medal at Commonwealth Games," he said in a release. "She has emerged as an inspiration to young sportspersons across the country and I am sure, given her determination, dedication and discipline, she will continue to not only do well for herself and for India but also motivate thousands of young Indians to emulate her drive to conquer new frontiers," Kalmadi added.

Saina rallied to register a scintillating three-game victory over Shixian Wang of China to clinch her career's fourth Super Series title with a 15-21 21-16 21-17 win over the third seed in the Hong Kong Super Series summit clash yesterday. - PTI

A dream come true, says Saina

"It is like a dream come true," Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal said on Sunday after defeating China's Shixian Wang to win the Hong Kong Open Super Series. "I am very happy that I am finishing the year like this. It is like a dream come true," Saina told TimesNow television channel.

She said it was really important to win the Hong Kong Open after the Asian Games where she failed to make a mark.

In pic: Saina Nehwal flaunts her gold medal after winning the Hong Kong Open badminton Super Series/AP

Saina defeated Chinese champion Shixian 15-21, 21-16, 21-17 to claim her career's fourth Super Series badminton title and the third of the year.

She said that after losing the first game, she became confident "because I was moving well on the court... I knew she would hit some strokes... The third was set was very crucial.

"I was very, very confident throughout. I was always confident after the second game."

Saina said she wanted to prove herself. "Winning this match was very important for me. I am really happy." -IANS

Saina Nehwal wins in Hong Kong Open

Press Trust of India,

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal cruised into the second round of the Hong Kong Super Series with a comfortable straight-game win over Tsz Ka Chan in Wanchai on Wednesday.

World number two and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Saina defeated Chan 21-16 21-18 in half an hour match in the women's singles event to set up a clash against Salakjit Ponsana of Thailand. Ponsana defeated Hsiao Huan Chen 21-18 21-13 in her first round match.

Among Indian men, CWG bronze medallist P Kashyap also crossed the first hurdle with a gruelling three-game win over Chinese Taipei's Yu Hsing Hsieh in the singles.

The Indian fought past Hsieh 21-14 19-21 21-18 in an hour and four minute encounter. He will next face fifth seed Jin Chen of China on Thursday.

However, disappointment was in store for other two Indians in fray - Aravind Bhat and RMV GurusaiDatt.

While Bhat went down to Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 13-21 21-23, Gurusaidutt fought his heart before going down 12-21 21-19 13-21 to local favorite Wing Ki Wong.