The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ‘Super’ Saina wins hearts

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Thursday, Aug 14, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

‘Super’ Saina wins hearts

V. V. Subrahmanyam

Though Saina lost in the quarters, the teenager has proved that she’s got it in her

HYDERABAD: She stared at another piece of history but looked the other way round in crunch time.

For 18-year-old shuttler Saina Nehawal, who raised the hopes of millions of Indians with her classy win over world No. 4 Chen Wang the other day, it was a bitter moment to lose a quarter-final 28-26, 14-21, 15-21 in 59 minutes to Indonesian Maria Kristin Yulianti which she looked to wrap up after leading 11-3 in the decider.

No doubt, the young Hyderabadi may have lost the match in Beijing Olympics on Wednesday, but she clearly won the hearts of many, revealing her potential to trouble the best in the world.

But, it was still not good enough to bring cheers to her father Harvir Singh, an officer in the Seeds Corporation of India.

“I was confident of her win today. But it was a terribly disappointing finish,” he remarked after watching the match with horde of mediapersons lined up to take his reactions.

Struggling to control the emotions at having his daughter miss a possible tryst with destiny in Olympics, he said Saina should have won the quarter-final.

Well, it is not that the family of city’s best shuttler is despondent, to say the least. They can take immense pride from the fact that the national champion is now among the top eight in Olympics – which in itself is no mean achievement.

But what disappointed them is the fact that she tripped when she shouldn’t. Yet, she had her moments of authority -- taking a decisive lead in the decider, engaged in one of the longest rallies lasting for 34 strokes.

All signs of bigger things to come.

Saina may not get a rousing reception when she returns home. But, her father points out that he will go to the airport and let his daughter ‘drive’ back home, which is a passion for the world No. 15. And, the young champion can also relish her favourite ‘parathas’ which her disappointed, yet proud father is preparing for her on the day of arrival. “She loves them,” he said

The message from Beijing is pretty loud and clear. Saina may not have won a medal but in her maiden Olympics she did send the message across to the world of badminton that she means business.

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