(NSI News Source Info) PUNE November 3, 2008: Saina Nehwal is a smash hit at the world junior level, even as she fine-tunes her game and is focussing to break into the top 10 in the senior ranks.
Sayako Sato reeled from the body blows, each time her rival uncorked the whiplash across court in the women’s singles final of the Yonex-Sunrise World juniors badminton.
THE CHAMP: Saina Nehwal, who won the World junior badmintion championship, proudly displays the trophyThe Indian girl won 21-9, 21-18, her powerplay proving too heavy for the left-handed Japanese.
The Indian is past the phase of stage-fright in a competitive situation, a feeling which froze the skilful and persistent Japanese in the first game, looking down the barrel at 2-9. Saina’s only opponent was her mind, a tendency to go off the boil when in full cry, as witnessed at the Beijing Olympics.
The drift
The drift happened in the second game, allowing Sayako to catch up from 6-14 down to 10-16 and again at 17-19 before the roar in the stands at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex jolted her back to reality.
Saina came into the match as the top seed and crowd favourite, with a reputation to establish and public expectation to live up to. India’s first world-beater in the junior ranks showed a capability to deliver on demand, regardless of nationality or quality of opposition.
Sayako was viewed as one more hurdle in her path to climbing the juniors summit and so had to face the punishment. “I expected a tougher match, but it turned out otherwise. Sato showed glimpses of a fightback in the second game (21-18), then hit one return wide and netted another to lose the edge.”
Wang Zhengming forced the pace against top seed Gao Huan in the men’s singles final, winning 21-13, 21-16.
India’s Guru Sai Dutt picked up a bronze as the singles semifinalist and Rs. 2 lakh incentive from the Badminton Association of India. For Saina, the purse is bigger, Rs. 5 lakh.
The results (finals):
Women’s singles: Saina Nehwal (India) bt Sayaka Sato (Japan) 21-9, 21-18;
Doubles: Fu Mingtian/ Yao Lei (Singapore) bt Xie Jing/ Zhong Qianxin (Chn) 21-19, 21-17.
Men’s singles: Wang Zhengming (Chn) bt Gao Huan (Chn) 21-13, 21-16;
Doubles: Mak Hee Chun/ Teo Kok Siang (Malaysia) bt Chai Biao/ Qiu Zihan (Chn) 21-18, 21-14.
Mixed doubles: Chi Biao/ Xie Jing (Chn) bt Zhang Nan/ Lu Lu (Chn) 21-19, 21-15.
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