If the world No.14 continues her dream run then breaking into the top 10 won’t take long.
Saina Nehwal bags Chinese Taipei GP, her biggest career win till date; Sourav Ghosal wins PSA event in France
MUMBAI: Saina Nehwal romped to the biggest win of her career on Sunday afternoon. A 21-8, 21-19 verdict over Lydia Li Ya Cheah of Malaysia saw her bag the Chinese Taipei Gold Grand Prix, an event ranked higher on the calendar than the Philippines Open.
Even in a year that has seen Saina enter the semifinals of the Singapore Open — a Super Series event — and also put up a stupendous performance at the Beijing Olympic Games, the win is special.
“This is my biggest win. The Philippines Open in 2006 was special but this is a five-star Gold Grand Prix tournament and is second only to the Super Series.
“Though in Beijing I reached the quarterfinals and gained valuable experience and confidence, I couldn’t win a medal. This victory has given me a lot of joy,” Saina told DNA on Sunday.
One of Saina’s biggest strengths is her speed — chasing down shuttles — which helped her better Lydia.
“She is an attacking player and in the first game was trying to finish the points early by going for smashes. I retrieved most of the shuttles. That frustrated her into making mistakes,” the ace Indian said.
The second game was a closer affair with Saina trailing Lydia on two occasions. The game could have gone either way but the 18-year-old Indian fought back bravely. Saina was trailing 8-11 and then 11-15.
“Lydia played much better in the second but I managed to clinch the crucial points,” Saina added. At 15-15, it was anybody’s game. It was 18-18 and then 19-19. However, at that moment, Saina earned two crucial points to seal the title.
“I am playing at my best. I am fit and raring to go. This has been a great run for me and I hope to do well at the Japan Super Series and the China Masters Super Series,” the ace shuttler said. Father Harvir Singh was following the game on the Internet.
“I was confident Saina would win. Lydia is a good player but she managed to pull off the win in a big final. I remember that she was a bit disheartened after missing out on an Olympic medal but she was always positive. This is a great boost for her,” he added.
On Tuesday, Saina will head to Japan for what should be a tougher tournament. She is scheduled to play a top-10 player in her opener.
“The competition in the Super Series events will be stiffer but I am confident of doing well,” Saina said.
If the world No.14 continues her dream run then breaking into the top 10 won’t take long. Saina has a hectic two weeks ahead but if she manages to reach the semifinals of both the Super Series events it would be time well spent.
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