From the publishers of THE HINDU
VOL.31 :: NO.46 :: Nov. 15, 2008
• Contents
BADMINTON / WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
A smashing success
| Following her performance in the Beijing Olympics, where she entered the women’s singles quarterfinals, anything less than a title in Pune would have been a letdown. True to her form, Saina Nehwal simply breezed to the World Junior crown. Nandakumar Marar reports. |
Saina Nehwal feeds off crowd support. And fans get into a frenzy watching her in full flow. Indian badminton now has a player blessed with courage, craft and the ambition to be up there with the best in the game.
Ranked world No. 1 in the junior section following her showing in the Yonex-Sunrise World Junior Championship recently — she defeated Sayaka Sato of Japan 21-9, 21-18 in the final in Pune — Saina is placed No. 11 in the IBF (International Badminton Federation) women’s rankings.
“It is a big boost for me, winning the World Junior Championship. Now I will be aiming to win senior titles. Next year, I will be focussing on the All-England and the World Championship,” said Saina, trying to make herself audible amidst the noise at Balewadi’s Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City, as children jostled against one another to offer the champion bouquets and seek her autograph.
Everyone loves a winner. “Winning in Pune, winning in our country feels great,” said Saina after becoming India’s first World junior champion.
Success, she said, is all about trying her best every day, whether it is the World Juniors or the Olympic Games. “It was a big tournament for me. I never expected to win here, just wanted to give my 100 per cent.”
The cavernous, cool indoor hall at Balewadi erupted into noisy celebration each time the Indian’s racquet came down like a whiplash for a forehand winner in the women’s singles final. Sayaka Sato of Japan, who was at the receiving end, steeled herself for the challenge, but when Saina smashed, all that she could do was watch on helplessly.
Guru Sai Dutt… had a brilliant run in the championship until he was halted by the eventual champion Wang Zhengming.
Saina, who was runner-up in the 2006 World Junior Championship in Incheon, South Korea, is now a known name in international badminton. In Pune, the task before her was to excel. Following her performance in the Beijing Olympics where she entered the women’s singles quarterfinals, anything less than the World Junior title would have been a letdown.
The final was a breeze for Saina. The only time the Indian was stretched was when Sato fought back in the second game from 4-11 down to make it 17-19. “I was ready for the third game in case she had won the second. I was confident of dealing with that and beating her,” Saina said.
According to coach Pullela Gopi Chand, it was just a matter of retaining focus. “It was quite a challenge. All rivals knew her game, she did not know what to expect from them,” he said. “Saina is a brave player, quick and confident, able to play big shots in match situations. She would learn a stroke in practice, then play it during big points in competitions. Not many players dare to do it.”
Gopi Chand, however, is aware of the necessity for improvement in all aspects of Saina’s game. “Saina is now playing the power game. At the senior level, small mistakes will be exploited. Her net game should get better and we will be working on adding more strokes,” he said.
According to Gopi Chand, the difference between Saina and the senior players ranked ahead of her in the world rankings is the extent of exposure they get. “All of them may be playing more matches than Saina, that’s the only difference. A string of good performances is needed to remain at the top level,” he said.
Gopi Chand then drew attention to Guru Sai Dutt’s feat of advancing to the men’s semifinals. “If Saina was special, Guru was fantastic. He may not be the typical badminton player, tall and strong, but knows to make use of his weapons and has the right mental attitude. Beating the Malaysian (Chung Kuan Kam) and the Korean (Park Sung Min) is not easy.”
Sai Dutt went down 16-21, 21-17, 17-21 to the eventual champion, Wang Zhengming, in a closely-fought semifinal and had to settle for the bronze.
Wang, lithe and powerful, smashed his way past his countryman and top seed Gao Huan, 21-13, 21-16, to win the men’s singles crown.
Wang Zhengming in action in the semifinals.
The Chinese flag was raised and the National Anthem played after the all-China mixed doubles final. The success of Singapore and Malaysia in the women’s and men’s doubles finals respectively came at the expense of the Chinese.
In the team championship, China brushed aside South Korea 3-1 for the gold.
India lost to Malaysia in the match for the third position in the team event. The National coach pointed to the bright side of India’s fourth-place finish — it was for the first time that the nation had finished so high at the World Juniors.
Saina and Sai Dutt will not be eligible to play in the World Juniors next time, so Gopi Chand is banking on a clutch of youngsters for the future. “Sai Praneeth and Pranav Chopra are 16 and so have a couple of years more. In the women’s section, everyone may not become a Saina but Sikki Reddy, Thulasi and Prajakta Sawant are promising,” he said.
The Results
Individual championship
Women’s singles final: Saina Nehwal (India) bt Sayaka Sato (Japan) 21-9. 21-18. Doubles final: Fu Mingtian & Yao Lei (Singapore) bt Xie Jing & Zhong Qianxin (China) 21-19, 21-17.
Men’s singles final: Wang Zhengming (China) bt Gao Huan (China) 21-13, 21-16. Doubles final: Mak Hee Chun & Teo Kok Siang (Malaysia) bt Chai Biao & Qiu Zihan (China) 21-18, 21-14.
Mixed doubles final: Chai Biao & Xie Jing (China) bt Zhang Nan & Lu Lu (China) 21-19, 21-15.
Team championship — Final: China bt South Korea 3-1.
Third place play-off: India lost to Malaysia 2-3 (Guru Sai Dutt & Prajakta Sawant lost to Kok Siang Teo & Kah Mun Vivian Hoo 8-21, 17-21; Saina Nehwal bt Siew Fong Florah Ng 21-9, 21-6; Aditya Prakash bt Iskandar Zulkarnain bin Zainuddin 21-12, 20-22, 26-24; Sai Praneeth & Pranav Chopra lost to Hee Chun Mak & Kok Siang Teo 14-21, 13-21; Sikki Reddy & P. Thulasi lost to Kah Mun Vivian Hoo & Sannatasah Binti Saniru 14-21, 21-13, 9-21).
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