Saina Nehwal
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The Times of India, Aug 17, 2015
Hijam Raju Singh
Super Saina leads India's rise in badminton
For a country which produces world-class athletes miserly, something revolutionary is happening in the world of badminton with world No.2 Saina Nehwal leading the Indian charge. There is a steep jump in the number of Indians competing at the highest level of the sport in the last few years, with currently three men and two women in the top 15 of the respective world rankings.
India had players like Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, current national chief coach, in the past but they were exceptions at best. Padukone won India's first World Championships medal, a bronze, way back in 1983 after winning the prestigious All England Championships in 1980, whereas Gopichand won the All England title in 2001. Padukone even rose to the pinnacle of the sport when he was ranked No. 1 in the world badminton rankings in 1980.
But the real rise of Indian badminton in recent years can be credited to the emergence of Saina seven years ago, when as an 18-year-old she started making waves by giving tough competitions to the Chinese shuttlers who literally ruled the sport with an iron grip.
Saina brought back memories of Padukone and Gopichand when she started winning Grand Prixs and Super Series tournaments, of which she won now 16. She came into prominence in 2008 when she reached the quarter-finals at the Beijing Olympics, a first by an Indian in the sport. Earlier that year Sania also became the first to win the BWF World Junior title. Saina then became the first to win a Super Series title when she triumphed at the Indonesian Open in 2009 and also reached the quarter-finals of the World Badminton Championships in her maiden attempt that year. Saina continued her rise in 2010 as she became the first Indian women to reach the All England semi-finals en route to reaching a career high world No. 2 in July. She then reached the World Championships quarter-finals again and later in the year won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Two years later, she made history by winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, another first by an Indian in badminton.
So far, 2015 has been a watershed year for the 25-year-old Indian youth icon as she rose to the top of the world rankings in April, thus becoming the first Indian woman to achieve the feat and second Indian after Padukone who reached there 35 years ago. Earlier in the year, she also became the first Indian woman to reach the final of the All England Championships where she lost to world champion Carolina Marin of Spain. Then in August, after reaching the World Championships quarter-finals five times before, Saina finally broke the medal drought as she stormed into the final in Jakarta. But defending champion Marin came out triumphant again in the summit clash.
Sindhu - India's other torchbearer
For a while there was only Saina, but a few years ago a lanky teenager burst into the limelight from the same Gopichand Academy. PV Sindhu made an immediate impact by winning a bronze medal at the world championships in 2013, which was even beyond Saina's grasp till this year, and established as a rising star by winning another bronze in 2014 - thus becoming India's first to win back-to-back medals at the World Championships.
Sindhu missed a hat-trick of medals as she lost in the quarter-final stage this year, but at 20 she has plenty of time to make amends. And with an Olympic year coming, the world No. 13 must be hoping to enter her name in the record book like Saina by winning a medal at Rio.
Nov 2014: China Open
For Saina, it is said & done Maxin Mathew The Times of India Nov 17 2014 Bengaluru:
Bengaluru: Defeating three Chinese players in three days on their own turf is an achievement that Saina Nehwal will treasure more than her commanding title-winning performance at the China Open in Fuzhou.
After a disappointing loss to Chinese world No. 2 Shixian Wang in the French Open quarterfinals in Oct 2014, U Vimal Kumar -her coach at the Karnataka Badminton Association here -had considered advising the 24-year-old to skip China Open and focus on the Hong Kong Open Superseries and Macau Open Grand Prix Gold. However, Saina's fierce determination to defeat her nemesis and win glory on their soil proved to be the game changer for her.
“I want to beat the Chinese in China,“ was what Saina told me,“ Vimal told The Times of India. “That was her thinking process. She was doing exceptionally well during practice and she needed to build her confidence after the French Open defeat.“
=2015
International rankings: Sania, World no. 1
On 2 April, 2015, Saina Nehwal became world number one after her India Open Grand Prix Gold triumph
A week later she dropped to the second place following her semifinal finish in the Malaysia Open Super Series.
She skipped the next week's Singapore Open Super Series but gained in the rankings after Xuerui also pulled out from the tournament, leading to loss of two positions in the women's singles chart.
On 16 April 2015 Saina regained the number one position in international rankings after China's Li Xuerui dropped a couple of rungs to third
21 May 2015 Saina Nehwal regained the top spot in the latest women's singles rankings released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) .
The Hyderabadi pipped reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China, who dropped to No.2. Saina had won two titles between Jan and May 2015 -- India Open Superseries and India Grand Prix Gold -- and also reached the final of the prestigious All England Open, which is a Superseries Premier event.
The details:
The Times of India Mar 29 2015
Saumyajit Basu
Saina Nehwal is now world No. 1
1st Indian woman at the top
After going through the grind for years, battling injuries and heartbreaks on the court along the way , Saina finally scaled the women's badminton summit the moment Carolina Marin of Spain lost her India Open semifinal at Siri Fort.
“When I joined the sport, I never thought of becoming world No. 1. It was only my mom's dream.. she would say , `Saina you have to get an Oly mpic medal for me'. That's it.Not world No. 1. But today ,I feel like oh my God, world No.1. Obviously it's huge.“ So overwhelmed was Saina that she struggled to express her emotions in words: “I still can't believe it. I would like to see my name on the rankings list...next Thursday .“ Wiping trickles of sweat from her brows and taking a sneak peek at her kit that has a small India flag and her name Saina stitched in gold letters, Saina tried to express her feelings after rushing into her maiden India Open final.
A few minutes ago she had completed the decimation of Yui Hashimoto in a new `smashing' game that she is perfecting these days at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bangalore. Former national champion Vimal Kumar is her new career chaperone and in just seven months, Saina has managed to achieve the top rank which Padukone did 35 years ago.
It would not be fair to measure Saina's achievement in just numbers as it means much more than that. What US is to the world economy , China is to world badminton powerful, seemingly unbeatable and producing champions in a factory line. Saina dared to break that hegemony and succeeded.
Prakash introduced India to world badminton. Saina redefined the sport in the country and became the face of a revolution which has got the badminton world worried. She did this all alone.
Vimal Kumar recalled an incident when a sprightly 15-year-old's fierce determination caught his attention. An injury to Aparna Popat, India's No. 1 player, pushed Saina into the thick of things. She emerged victorious and India won a bronze in the mixed team event in 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. “Her work ethic is absolutely commendable. She is a delight to work with,“ said Kumar.
“It's been a long journey . I've made so many sacrifices. I have shifted from Hyderabad to Bangalore just to beat the top players.
It turned out to be a good decision and I have become the world No .1 in such quick time. In between, I have won the China Open and Lucknow Open, reached the All England final and now I'm in the India Open final. Every player dreams of being here,“ said the champion fighter.
Assured of no. 1 rank, Saina storms into India Open Final; Srikanth sets up summit clash with Axelsen
The Times of India Mar 29 2015
Saumyajit Basu
For the first time since it attained Super Series status, India Open will witness two Indians in the title showdown. Following Saina Nehwal's historic rise to world No .1 and making it to the final in the process, Kidambi Srikanth too jumped into the fray .
Ladies and gentlemen, it will be a Super Sunday at the Siri Fort.
Flaunting a new-found aggression, Saina stomped her way past Japan's Yui Hashimoto 21-15, 21-11. In the past few editions of the event, Saina had to bite the bitter pill rather early. But on Saturday, she was breathing fire, hitting repeat smashes to force a whirlwind victory .
That she attained the world No. 1 rank before the start of match was known to the packed house. Every movement of her was cheered like crazy and Saina waved at the crowd after finishing off her opponent with disdain. She was actually waving her racket like a rapier and the shuttle zoomed like a short-range missile. Hashimoto had no answer.
One has to wait and see what Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon has in store for Saina when they meet in the final.
World No.4 Srikanth pulled off a smooth 2116, 21-13 win over Chinese qualifier Xue Song. “I tried to keep my attack perfect. For tomorrow (Sunday), I have to plan afresh,“ Srikanth said. He will be up against Denmark's sixth seed Viktor Axelsen, whom he had defeated earlier this month in Swiss Open final. Axelsen moved into the final after Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia retired from their semifinal match after developing a back injury .
Carolina Marin is known as the comeback queen in the badminton circle. Saina got a taste of it in the All England final and on Saturday, the Spaniard almost pulled off another revival of sorts.
The first women's semifinal panned out as the best match of the Yonex Sunrise India Open as Marin raced to a lead and it looked like the game was under Spanish control. But Intanon, the youngest world champion, had other plans.
The 20-year old Thai girl launched a war of resistance that spiced up the contest between two contrasting styles, one representing the hard-hitting power-backed European trademark while the other bore the stamp of patience and long rallies.
Ratchanok fell down on a number of occasions but at the end of a marathon 1 hour 24 minute battle, she was the one left stand ing. Ratchanok won 21-19, 21-23, 22-30.
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
Women's Singles: Ratchanok Intanon [3](THA) bt Carolina Marin [2] (ESP) 21-19 21-23 22-20; Saina Nehwal [1] (IND) bt Yui Hashimoto (JPN) 21-15, 21 11; Men's singles: Viktor Axelsen [6](DEN)bt Tommy Sugiarto [8] 22-24 17-11 Retired ; K. Srikanth [2] (IND) bt Xue Song (CHN) 21 16 21-13.
`I have made so many sacrifices'
The Times of India Mar 29 2015
The feel-good factor is back. Indian sports fans who were feeling a little low after India's exit from the cricket World Cup have got a reason to celebrate: Saina Nehwal is world No. 1. After going through the grind for years, battling injuries and heartbreaks on the court along the way , Saina finally scaled the women's badminton summit the moment Carolina Marin of Spain lost her India Open semifinal at Siri Fort.
“When I joined the sport, I never thought of becoming world No. 1. It was only my mom's dream.. she would say , `Saina you have to get an Oly mpic medal for me'. That's it.Not world No. 1. But today ,I feel like oh my God, world No.1. Obviously it's huge.“ So overwhelmed was Saina that she struggled to express her emotions in words: “I still can't believe it. I would like to see my name on the rankings list”. Wiping trickles of sweat from her brows and taking a sneak peek at her kit that has a small India flag and her name Saina stitched in gold letters, Saina tried to express her feelings after rushing into her maiden India Open final.
A few minutes ago she had completed the decimation of Yui Hashimoto in a new `smashing' game that she is perfecting these days at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bangalore. Former national champion Vimal Kumar is her new career chaperone and in just seven months, Saina has managed to achieve the top rank which Padukone did 35 years ago.
It would not be fair to measure Saina's achievement in just numbers as it means much more than that. What US is to the world economy , China is to world badminton powerful, seemingly unbeatable and producing champions in a factory line. Saina dared to break that hegemony and succeeded.
Prakash introduced India to world badminton. Saina redefined the sport in the country and became the face of a revolution which has got the badminton world worried. She did this all alone.
Vimal Kumar recalled an incident when a sprightly 15-year-old's fierce determination caught his attention. An injury to Aparna Popat, India's No. 1 player, pushed Saina into the thick of things. She emerged victorious and India won a bronze in the mixed team event in 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. “Her work ethic is absolutely commendable. She is a delight to work with,“ said Kumar.
“It's been a long journey . I've made so many sacrifices. I have shifted from Hyderabad to Bangalore just to beat the top players.
It turned out to be a good decision and I have become the world No .1 in such quick time. In between, I have won the China Open and Lucknow Open, reached the All England final and now I'm in the India Open final. Every player dreams of being here,“ said the champion fighter.
2015
Strength led her to "World number 1"
The Times of India, Mar 29 2015
Manne Ratnakar
Hundred and forty two years after the first shuttle crossed the net in Poona, Saina Nehwal became the first Indian woman on top of the world rankings. The 25-year-old is also the only Indian to achieve the No.1 rank after the modern ranking system was introduced in the late 90s. Saina achieved this phenomenal feat after world champion Carolina Marin, the other contender for the top spot, lost in the India Open semifinals, paving the way for Saina's accession to the throne when the rankings will be released on Thursday .
The Olympic bronze medallist came close to this when she became No. 2 in July, 2010. But injuries and dip in form pushed her down the ladder before she fought her way back to the top by winning the Australian Open, China Open and the Indian Grand Prix Gold in the last 10 months. Coupled with her splendid show was the stunning drop in form of top Chinese shuttlers like Olympic champion Li Xuerui, former world champion Wang Yihan and two-time All England champion Wang Shixian, which made things easier for Saina. These three top players are still injuries.
After winning a Grand Prix Gold tournament in the Phillippines in 2006, Saina kept getting better. She went on o eclipse the greats of Indian badminton like Prakash Padukone and her ong time coach Pullela Gopichand by winning close to 20 international titles.
With sheer commitment, hard work and never-say-die attitude she stretched to make a mark in world badminton. Very few were surprised when she won India's first badminton medal at the Olympics.
But nothing came easy for Saina.As a girl she travelled about 30 km everyday on her father's scooter for training. She trained harder than many boys. Though beaten squarely by the Chinese earlier in her career, she never lost hope and finally got the better of them. After her first victory in 2006, she had to wait for two years to win another international title. But the epochmaking moment came in 2010 when she stunned the world with hat-trick of titles India Open, Singapore Open and Indonesia Open.
Then came the injuries. She won only the Swiss Open in 2011 and that indeed was a bad sign in the run-up to the Olympics. She cried and pleaded with Gopichand to do something as nothing seemed to be working. But just before the London Olympics she showed signs of recovery and won the bronze. She went on win the Denmark Open before injuries slowed her again.
She did not win a single title in 2013 and though she won the India Open and Australian Open in 2014 she did not look convincing. Many wrote her off after she decided to split with Gopichand in September, 2014. But she rose like a Phoenix by winning the China Open in Nov and reaching the final at the All England earlier.
World championship
World Championship: reaches semi-finals
The Times of India, Aug 15 2015
Manne Ratnakar
Finally assures herself of a World’s medal by reaching Semifinals; Sindhu, Jwala-Ashwini miss out
Saina Nehwal, Indian badminton's talismanic star who has for years waged a valiant battle against the domination of Chinese women shuttlers with admirable success, threw her racquet high in the air and jumped in delight as she celebrated the end of a long-standing jinx inside a packed hall in Jakarta. It was a moment she had been craving for years; it was a huge hurdle crossed on the road on which she had slipped and fallen time and again in her bid to win that elusive World Championship medal; it was the breaking of a mental barrier which had given her sleepless nights. It must have been extra special for Saina as it came with the conquest of her nemesis, China's Wang Yihan.
In a nerve-jangling one hour, 12 minute fight, Saina triumphed 21-15, 19-21, 21-19 to make her maiden entry into the Worlds semifinals, which assured her of at least a bronze medal.In five earlier attempts, Saina had never crossed the quarters.
The Indian champ, ranked No. 2 in the world, started in an emphatic fashion and clinched the first game against the world No. 6 Chinese without breaking much sweat. However, that was where the fight truly began.She allowed Yihan to wipe out a big deficit and win the second game. In the third game too, Saina did a lot of catching-up and was even trailing at 16-18. But it was here that Saina came up with some breathtaking strokes to move ahead of Yihan with a threepoint burst and then went for the kill.
The Indian ace, who has won close to 20 international titles including the Olympics bronze, was always unlucky when it came to the World championship. She was struck down by chicken pox once, stomach bug later the 24-year-old was always laid low by some off-court problems. Even before the Worlds she was suffering from shoulder niggle but she did not allow that to affect her game. The Indian faced Lindaweni Fanetri of Indonesia in the semifinals.
World Championship: reaches finals
The Times of India, Aug 16 2015
Manne Ratnakar
First Indian on threshold of World Championship title
A sensational Saina Nehwal crossed another spectacu lar milestone when she became the first Indian to reach the final of the World Badminton Championships. A day after delivering the sucker punch to the Chinese when she beat Wang Yi han, Saina outclassed local girl Lindaweni Fanetri in straight games 21-17, 21-17 to set up the gold medal match against defending champion and world No. 1 Carolina Marin of Spain. In Jakarta on Saturday , Marin recovered from a mid-match slump to oust Ji Hyun Sung of Korea 21-17, 15-21, 21-16 to set up a repeat of the All England final where she had rallied to beat Saina.
Adding a new chapters is nothing new for Saina but her amazing feat on Saturday is extraordinary . No Indian had managed to reach the summit stage since the World Championships started in 1977. The legendary Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to win a medal (a bronze) in 1983, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa bagged a women's doubles bronze in 2011 and PV Sindhu clinched back-to-back bronze medals in 2013 and 2014. Saina has already gone beyond them and can even win the gold medal on Sunday .
Playing like a champion, Saina hardly broke sweat in her 55-minute clash against the lowerranked Fanetri. Jakarta is a favourite hunting ground for Saina. She has won three Indonesian Open titles here and such is the bonding that Saina has with Jakarta that she once said that she was more popular in Indonesia than in India.
On Saturday , the Indian found little support from the partisan fans who were backing their local star against the adopted Indian ace. Saina, however, was unfazed by all that.
Aware that Fanetri was nowhere close to her class, Saina started cautiously . With the boisterous support of the full house, Fanetri started with a 6-2 lead only for Saina to catch up at 9-9. Sensing that Fanetri was struggling with her right ankle, Saina showed no urgency as she worked her way Saina showed no urgency as she w by engaging her rival in long rallies. After the mandatory break, she moved to 14-11 lead and though Fanetri matched her at 15-15, Saina looked quite comfortable throughout the first game as she bagged it at 21-17. A determined Fanetri did all that she could but she hardly troubled the Indian who came up with some delectable drops, deceptive half smashes and power-packed drives right the second game. At 11-11, Saina got two decisive points with a cross court half smash and a drop which kissed and dragged itself along the net. Fanetri tried hard and braced up for one last fight as she managed to wipe off the deficit to be on par with the Indian at 14-14. It was here that Saina came up with a three-point burst. At 18-16, Saina slammed one into the net but averted further damage. A tensed up Fanetri made the job easy for the In dian by hitting the bird wide twice at 17-19.
Yet, Saina described her semifinal as one of the toughest matches. “I never thought I would reach the final,“ she said later, “It was one of the toughest matches this week. I was playing against the crowd and thus I was alert all along for her fightback.“
Vimal Kumar was happy with the way Saina coped with the pressure. “It was a nervous game today and the crowd and expectations weighed her down. I am happy the way she coped up with the situa tion,“ Vimal said.
Progress to the top
