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Saturday, Nov 18, 2006
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Sport - Badminton

Saina triumphs in style

Nandakumar Marar

Saina Nehwal. — Photo: Vivek Bendre

MUMBAI: Saina Nehwal has developed a habit of scaring the South Koreans. The haunted look on Soo Young Jang's face said it all.

Right through the women's singles final of the Indian International Badminton Championships, the latter was in reactive mode, dancing to the tune set by the Indian, whose steep, angled returns from all parts of the court and nonchalant net-play were the building blocks for a 21-9, 21-14 victory.

The two players clashed three times over the last four weeks, twice at the Incheon World Juniors and now in Mumbai. Saina won both individual encounters, setting the pace for a rivalry, which may happen if the South Koreans can find a way of cracking the Saina Nehwal puzzle.

The men's singles final was another South Korea-India showdown. This time it was Nikhil Kanetkar's turn to face the heat against Ho Cheol Lee, whose 21-11, 21-11 win reflected the stranglehold he held over the Indian southpaw.

Saina, her plans worked out against Korean girls paying off, appeared in a different league. "Soo beat me in the team event at World Juniors, then lost a close semifinal to me in the singles, hence this victory over her is memorable."

Supreme

The Indian girl troubled her rival with steep returns and was supreme in exchanges at the net, leading 5-0 in both games. "She is tall and has the advantage of reach. So I tried to hit deep, keeping the shuttle close to the net as often as possible," said Saina, setting the stage with a wristy drop for the first point of the final. The control in net play helped her finish off rallies with stunning placements, setting off applause in the Goregaon SC stands for the finesse in executing the Indian brand of touch-play. The top seed won without being stretched.

"I knew she was scared. I did not have to play all-out to win," said Saina, rating the victory over Aparna Popat in the last Asian Satellite as the turning point of her career.

"Aparna was a world-ranked player then, so defeating her was an important moment for me," said the graceful champion, growing into a threat for Asian powers in junior ranks and a menace for seniors. The $10,000 Mumbai event is sponsored by IndianOil.

The results (all finals): Singles: Men: Ho Cheol Lee (Kor) bt Nikhil Kanetkar (Ind) 21-11, 21-11.

Women: Saina Nehwal (Ind) bt SooYoung Jang (Kor) 21-9, 21-14.

Doubles: Men: Sanave Thomas/ Rupesh Kumar (Ind) bt Chan Peng Soon/ Chang Hun Pin (Mas) 19-21, 21-8, 22-20.Women: Jung Young Kyung/ Kim Min Jung (Kor) bt Jwala Gutta/Shruti Kurien (Ind) 21-18, 21-19.Mixed doubles: Ming Hoon Jung/ Kyung Young Jung (Kor) bt Kim Young Sun/ Song Jun (Kor) 21-12, 19-21, 21-18.

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