The Hindu : Sport / Olympic Games : Saina fritters away a commanding lead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 14, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Olympic Games

Saina fritters away a commanding lead

Kamesh Srinivasan

Saina runs out of steam on the home stretch
She loses after leading 11-3 in the decider

BEIJING: Saina Nehwal was all set to move into the women’s semifinals in badminton, but lacked the energy for the home stretch. She slipped inexplicably at the door-step of victory, much to the disappointment of the die-hard Indian supporters who lustily cheered the young hopeful on Wednesday.

A majority of the spectators, who enjoyed the entertaining contest between Saina and Indonesian Maria Kristin Yulianti, must have felt let-down after the talented Indian failed to drive home the advantage of a 11-3 lead in the decider, as the talented Indonesian leapfrogged to a 19-12 lead, winning 16 points to one by the Indian, in turning the match around.

At the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Saina looked to have run out of energy as Yulianti powered to a 26-28, 21-14, 21-15 victory in just over an hour.

There was no doubt that the 23-year-old Yulianti was the better all-court player and she had the reserves of energy when it mattered most. Once she took control of the third game, she played with effortless ease and teased the 18-year-old Saina with her subtle touch and sound placements. The Indian speeded up her downfall with a flurry of errors, too.

It was a free flowing Yulianti on display towards the end of the match and it was all too quick for Saina to comprehend when the curtains came down on her fine campaign. She had won three rounds and had given a good account of herself for the better part of the quarterfinals — the first Indian to get that far in the Olympics.

“I was ready to fight till the end. Maybe, I was tired. Maybe, it was tough to make the right judgement from one side because of the draught. The match turned around so fast that I didn’t know how to (take) control,” said Saina.

The Hyderabad lass of Haryana origin needed nine game points to seal the first game in which she had led 20-16 at one stage. She saved a game point as well at 24-25, as she combined powerful smashes with good touch at the net.

“In the first game, I felt a bit overwhelmed. So, I wasn’t playing my best. But, I recovered in the second game where she looked a bit under pressure,” said Yulianti.

Saina was noticeably able to step up her game when in trouble.

Unfortunately for her, she was unable to remain in that mode for long thereafter.

The manner in which she hurried for some shots in the second game betrayed her fatigue.

She was also forced to work a lot by a clever opponent who sent her to the corners with canny court craft.

A string of bad judgements, which she could attributed to the altered speed of the shuttles on one side of the court, saw Saina lose a clutch of points in the climax of the second game, from 12-16.

Into the third, the flow was in Saina’s favour, as she won seven points in a row from 4-3, but thereafter it was a different game.

Saina had run out of steam and the tide turned decisively in the Indonesian’s favour.

“She was always attacking. So, I had to be patient. Towards the end it looked like she was rushing her shots,” said the wiry Yulianti, who had one of her knees strapped, but showed no strain during the course of the match.

“It was the occasion that pulled me up from 3-11 to 21-15 in that third game. You don’t get a chance to play here often, and I told myself that I must do better,” said the Indonesian.

A cheerful Saina swallowed the disappointment and said, “I could have played better. I could have won this match.

“Hopefully, I will come well prepared and focussed next time,” she said.

Saina has age on her side to lift her career, and lessons learnt on such a big stage should help her in the years to come.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport