Saina clinches Singapore Open Super Series

Published Sun, Jun 20 10 02:07 PM

Singapore, Jun 20 (PTI) Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal put behind a nervy start to clinch the second Super Series title of her career by winning the Singapore Open with a straight-game triumph over qualifier Tzu Ying Tai in the finals here today. Top seed Saina took just 33 minutes to beat Chinese Taipei''s Tai 21-18 21-15 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium here. The world number six, who was the lone Indian left if fray after others crashed out by the semifinal stage, had bagged her maiden Super Series title in June last year when she claimed the top honours at the Indonesian Open. "I never expected to reach the finals as there were two good Chinese players in the draw but I believed in myself and got the result I wanted," the jubilant 20-year-old said. The in-form Saina came here after winning the India Open Grand Prix Gold title only last week. "The Indian Open gave me the confidence to play well here," she said. In a match that was a close affair to start with, Saina was locked 18-18 with her rival after trailing 8-14 at one stage. But Saina clinched the opening game with seven smash winners to show against her rival''s three. In the second game, Saina displayed a better net game and outwitted her rival in rallies to emerge triumphant. Saina said she kept gaining in confidence as the match progressed. "I was nervous at the start of the match but I maintained my strategy of playing more rallies," she said. "I was down 8-14 in the first game but I just told myself that ''play your best and give your 100 per cent''. I think that really worked well for me," she added. Saina said her opponent, despite being a mere qualifier, had some tricks to unsettle her. "She defeated a few good players in the run-up to the finals. She was in good rhythm and her strokes were falling well. At the starting, I wasn''t comfortable with her game. She had some tricky shots," she said. But as the minutes ticked by, Saina said she got a hang of her rival''s strategy. "Slowly, I studied her game. I was down and very nervous that I would lose the match but I had spirit to fight it out," she said.

Source: Web Search