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Incredible show: Gopi Chand

Principal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: India's chief national coach Pullela Gopi Chand is delighted that Saina Nehwal has cultivated the wining habit.

“The confidence level is high and more importantly she is not conceding too many negative points of late. This is a wonderful sign of a vastly improving player,” Gopi remarked.

“Yes, honestly, I was hoping but not really expecting her to win three titles in-a-row which is not an easy at any level in any sport. At the same time, it is also an incredible achievement to maintain such level of excellence at the highest level,” he said.

“I was nervous when Sato (Sayako Sato of Japan) played brilliantly in the second game with her fine rallies and powerful smashes which cracked the Indian's defence. But, once Saina got the slender lead in the third game she did well to sustain the pressure with a very intelligent game,” Gopi said on the final.

“Saina had achieved more than what we expected in these last few weeks. Breaking into the top three, winning two Super Series titles in–a-row should be the ideal run-up to the coming World championship. For both of us winning gold in the Worlds is the ultimate goal,” he said.

Saina's first coach S.M. Arif too was pleased with her performance. “This is great news for the entire badminton fraternity and I only hope she will sustain this form in the days to come,” he said.

In separate messages, former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Sports Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, Olympians N. Mukesh Kumar and Edwards Alloysius, former SAAP chairman P.R. Mohan congratulated Saina.

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