Saina Nehwal won the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold medal by defeating Thailand's 19-year-old Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 22-20 in the women's final of the event for her first title of the year and the first since knee surgery five months ago.
“It's a good win for her confidence. Her next big test will be in March so she will have some time to prepare well,” her coach Vimal Kumar said. “I still feel she gets out of breath after long rallies so improving her strength and endurance will be a priority. She will also have to lose weight. However, these issues are natural after a surgery,” said the former international. Saina's next big test overseas will be the All England Open Superseries Premier in March.
Vimal suggested that excelling in the Malaysian event was tougher than perceived.“The level is definitely lower but all her opponents - the rising stars of the sport - are quite tricky. They have nothing to lose and come out all guns blazing. Playing under pressure is the most important thing and she has been able to weather that. It's not easy and I'm quite pleased,” he said, adding that the pressure to perform and her own expectations had drained his ward. “She is doing well overall but that is something she will be working on.” The noted coach said the top-seeded Saina had a few issues in the event in Sibu but did well to overcome them. “I spoke to her a few days ago. She said there was a bit of drift in the hall and she was not timing her shots well. I told her these are factors she would have to adjust to. When you are playing against rivals you are expected to beat, these factors can play on your mind. I'm happy she pulled through. She is definitely on course to getting back to her best. Once she is back in India she will get another six weeks to prepare for the next event,” he said.
Vimal felt Saina would need to relax a bit more in the run up to her next big challenge. “She needs to be more at ease. We keep talking about different things but she says she is most relaxed in training. It's important at this level that she works out her own ways. I'm glad she is finding her way back. There is no one particular way to do things and I'm glad she is coping well,” he said.
