Has to defend titles in Thailand, Indonesia before heading to Singapore.
Saina Nehwal, who had to withdraw from last month’s Sudirman Cup due to a toe fracture, will take part in three back-to-back tournaments starting next week.
“My toe is fine. There is pain but it is bearable. I am leaving on June 2 and will play in all the three tournaments,” the world No. 2 told dna from Hyderabad.
A Badminton Association of India official confirmed on Friday that Nehwal “is fit enough as of today and has been training well. There are no complaints about her fitness”.
Nehwal will defend her titles at the Thailand Grand Prix Gold (June 4-9) in Bangkok and Indonesia Open Super Series Premier (June 10-16) in Jakarta. She will also participate in the Singapore Open Super Series (June 18-23).
Nehwal is the top seed in Thailand Open and will open her title defence against Renna Suwarno of Indonesia. In the absence of top Chinese players in Thailand, the 23-year-old Hyderabadi has a bright chance of entering the final where she could face Thailand’s rising star Ratchanok Intanon (No. 5).
Nehwal’s tougher contests lie in the next two weeks when the Chinese (Li Xuerui, No. 1, and Wang Yihan, No. 4, also participate. She is seeded second in Indonesia and Singapore.
“I have not given much consideration to the draws (Singapore Open draw yet to be released). I will do my best,” Nehwal said when asked if she is confident of defending her titles in Thailand and Indonesia.
Being a top player, Nehwal cannot afford to skip the Super Series and Super Series Premier tournaments. Nehwal has held on to her No. 2 ranking since March 14 this year. She has 78,770 points in the kitty. Despite her second-round exit at the India Open and missing Sudirman Cup, Nehwal has retained her world No. 2 rank, courtesy Xuerui’s and Yihan’s poor form this year.
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