Saina Nehwal ended her 14 month title drought by winning her second Australian Open Super Series title with a 11-21, 21-14, 21-19 victory over China's Sun Yu in Sydney on Sunday and gave an indication that she's peaking in time for the Rio Olympic Games.
The Indian shuttler dug deep after losing the first game to eclipse Sun in an energy-sapping one hour, 11minute contest, the longest on the final day. This is the first time that Saina had scaled two Chinese players en route to the title - she beat Wang Yihan in the semifinal and Sun in the final - a double blow that is sure to dent Chinese confidence in the run up to Rio. Interestingly, the 26-year-old mowed down two former world champions, that too in straight games - in the quarterfinals (Ratchanok Intanon) and semifinals (Wang). More than the title triumph, Saina will take pride in beating Ratchanok and Wang.
The Indian came into the tournament struggling but determined. “I came into this tournament not expecting to win it,” Saina told reporters and rated her victories in the quarterfinals and semis better than the final win. “Today, I wasn't feeling as great as I felt when I beat Ratchanok or Yihan this week,” she added.
Saina's coach Vimal Kumar said that her determination to win made the difference. “She started a bit slow but I am happy to see her attacking well. She did not get the length as Sun was dictating the rallies. The most important thing was her determined play. She really wanted to win badly and that made the difference. In my opinion, she is moving much faster and attacking than ever before. This win should spur her preparations for Olympics. There is a lot of scope for improvement and the next six to seven weeks will help her prepare better.
“When you have no aches and pain and that you gain by doing the right physical conditioning, you can get to a level and play to your potential. Saina, to a certain extent, has been able to find a good balance in her workouts,” Vimal said.
Sun came with a plan to disturb Saina's backhand smash and did unsettle the Indian. She never allowed Saina to get into rhythm in the first game.
