Saina, Jwala-Diju make it a year to remember for badminton

Amit Kumar Das
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Saina Nehwal broke the Chinese
stranglehold, while the mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and
V Diju cracked the top-10 chart as Indian badminton rose in
stature in a reasonably successful 2009.
After a highly promising last year where she won the
Chinese Taipei title, Saina proved once again why she is the
brightest star in Indian badminton as she went a step ahead
this year.
The Hyderabadi became the first Indian to win a Super
series title when she clinched the Indonesian Open in June.
The hard work of the past two years paid off and the
shuttler was conferred the coveted Arjuna Award in August,
where her mentor Pullela Gopichand received the Dronacharya
Award.
If Saina broke the Chinese dominance this year, Jwala and
Diju made India a force to reckon with in mixed doubles.
The duo became the first Indian pair to reach the
quarterfinals of the World championship in Hyderabad but it
was the victory at Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold in August
which was the highlight of a dream year as it catapulted them
to the top-10 bracket.
The year 2009 also saw Arvind Bhat break the title jinx
at the National championship after four abortive finals, when
he beat P Kashyap in the summit clash in Indore.
Saina, the first Indian shuttler to make the Olympic
quarterfinals in Beijing last year, continued her
giant-killing run this year too as the Indian taught a thing
or two to the Chinese in their own game.
The 19-year-old made a steady start to the season and
reached the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Super Series, Swiss
Open and India Open in Hyderabad in March and also helped
India reach Group 2 of the Sudirman Cup in May.
The Singapore Open in June again saw the Indian ace reach
the last eight where she lost to Wang Lin but a gritty Saina
avenged her loss in Indonesia by beating the Chinese in the
finals to clinch her maiden super series title.
She also reached the quarters of Malaysian Open but a
bout of mild chicken pox just two weeks before the World
Championship threatened her chances of participating in the
tournament which was being held in India for the first time.
But she recovered in time to not only take part in the
event but also become the first Indian woman to reach the
quarterfinals where she lost to old rival Wang Lin.
However, a miscommunication between the Indian officials
and the Badminton World Federation regarding sending of
entries saw Saina miss the China Masters, which was just
after the World Championships.
When she eventually returned to the circuit, the Indian
made it to the quarters of back-to-back super series events in
Denmark and French to reach a career-best ranking of world
number six in October.
With the year nearing end, Saina participated in the
World Super Series Masters Final and reached the semifinals of
the prestigious event, an encore of her performance last year.
As Saina cemented her place in the top league in singles,
the seven-time national doubles champion Jwala Gutta and her
partner V Diju made quite a splash in mixed doubles.
For Jwala and Diju, it was a year in which they moved
from strength to strength and consolidated their position on
the global map.
The duo created a flutter when they made it to the finals
of the Indian Open in Hyderabad in March and signed off the
year on a high reaching the finals of the season-ending World
Super Series Masters Finals.
The men's doubles pair of Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas
also notched up up some impressive triumphs in the
international arena when the duo clinched the New Zealand
Grand Prix in July and the Bitburger Open in October.
They also reached the finals of the Australian Open Grand
Prix in July.
On the downside, this year proved to be a low key one for
the men's singles players like Chetan Anand and Arvind Bhat as
none of them could win any international tournaments, only
managing odd quarterfinal appearances.
P Kashyap, though, had something to sheer about as he
managed to finish runners-up in the Spanish Open and Open
Volant d'Or in May but his form too dipped after that.
The most disappointing of all was India's number one
shuttler Chetan for whom it was a forgettable year as fitness
and poor form kept haunting him all through. It wasn't any
better for Arvind either.
Apart from winning his maiden national title this year,
Arvind had nothing much to show and the only bright moment for
him was reaching a career-best 21st after making the quarters
of Macau Open.
Olympian Anup Sridhar also struggled with injuries and
fitness issues and his only high point was beating the then
world number two Peter Gade of Denmark to reach the quarters
of Singapore Super Series.
Although the men disappointed, overall the year turned
out to be a good one for India as it consolidated its position
at the world stage and with the country hosting the
Commonwealth Games next year, it would be another opportunity
for the shuttlers to shine bright next year too.

Syed Modi International Grand Prix

Saina, Chetan in quarters; Arvind crashes out of Syed Modi
Amit Kumar Das
Lucknow, Dec 17 (PTI) Saina Nehwal and Chetan Anand
advanced to the quarterfinals but Arvind Bhat crashed out
after a stunning third-round defeat in the Syed Modi
International Grand Prix badminton tournament here today.
Top seed Saina crushed Chitralekha 21-9 21-7 to set up a
clash with fifth seed Indonesian Fransiska Ratnasari, while
Chetan struggled past Indonesian Adnan Fauzi 21-11 20-22
21-17.
The men's top seed will take on compatriot Anup Sridhar
in the quarterfinals tomorrow. Sixth seeded Sridhar spanked
Eshan Naqvi 21-14 21-11 in another match.
However, the biggest upset of the day was the shocking
21-15 19-21 14-21 defeat of Arvind at the hands of Malaysian
Kwong Beng Chan in an hour long match.
In a match that had 111 rallies, Arvind squandered a
first game lead and then found the going tough against the
Malaysian, who held nerve at crucial junctures to emerge as
victorious.
In the first game, the Malaysian opened up a 10-4 lead
but a gutsy Arvind pocketed 14 points on the stretch to lead
18-10 before pocketing the game.
But in the second game, the Indian committed some
unforced errors to allow the Malaysian to take a 10-5 lead.
Arvind tried to come back and made it 19-20 before Chan
wrapped it up to draw level.
In the decider, Chan again zoomed to a 10-3 lead and
although Arvind tried to come back, making it 14-18, it was
all over soon.
Among other Indians in fray, fourth seed P Kashyap
struggled past German Dieter Domke 21-12 19-21 21-17 and
eighth seed RMV Gurusaidatt pipped Ajay Jayaram 16-21 21-8
21-12 in 42 minutes to reach the quarterfinals.
Sai Praneet B also made it the final eight when Nikhil
Kanetkar retired midway with the former leading 6-2.
In women's singles, Sikki Reddy beat third seed Maja
Tvrdy 21-16 21-14, qualifier PV Sindhu beat compatriot Mohita
Sahdev 21-12 21-14. Seventh seed Trupti Murgunde rallied to
pip Japanese Hirayama Yu 17-21 21-18 23-21, while Aditi
Mutatkar prevailed over fourth seed Neha Pandit 21-16 21-18.
However, it was all over for Dhanya Nair, who went down
to second seed Indonesian Maria Febe Kusumastuti 21-12 21-6.
In the men's doubles, top seed Akdhay Dewalkar and Jishnu
Sanyal beat compatriots Davinder Dhillon and Hemant Duggal
21-4 21-18 and Sanave Thomas and V Diju defeated Venkat Gaurav
and Manish Gupta 21-13 21-14 Second seed Tarun Kona and Arun
Vishnu got the better of Sai Praneet B and Pranav Chopra 18-21
21-11 21-18 to reach the quarterfinals.
Among the women, top seeds Aparna Balan and Shruti Kurian
also reached the quarters after beating Chitralekha and Parssa
Naqvi 21-12 21-19 in the women's doubles category.

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Didn't handle injuries properly: Sridhar
Lucknow, Dec 17 (PTI) Fitness problems have marred his
international career in the past couple of years and Indian
shuttler Anup Sridhar today said he paid the price for not
dealing with his injuries properly.
"I didn't deal with my injuries properly and paid the
price. I made hasty recoveries and played too many tournaments
this year," Anup, who slipped from 24 in early 2008 to 39th in
the current international rankings, told PTI.
"I committed too many mistakes but now I have learnt my
lessons and I would schedule my tournaments well next season,"
he added.
Asked what would be his schedule next year, Anup said
after the national championship, he would take a long break
before playing any tournament.
"Next year, I am starting with the nationals but after
that I would take a six weeks break and then depending upon
how I feel, I will decide which tournaments to play," he said.
Anup, who represented India in the Beijing Olympics, is
also in the list of probables for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
but the Bangalorean said the event is too far away right now.
"I am far from qualifying for the Commonwealth Games
right now. But things can change within three-four months. So
I am not thinking anything now. Now the priority is to
concentrate on my fitness and take things as it comes.
"Of course, if I can make it to the team, I will give my
best to win a medal," said Anup, who married two weeks ago.

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Saina, Chetan in semifinals
Amit Kumar Das
Lucknow, Dec 18 (PTI) Top seeds Saina Nehwal and Chetan
Anand advanced to the semifinals while RMV Gurudsaidutt
shocked higher ranked Indonesian Andre Kurniawan Tedjono in
straight games to reach the final four in the Syed Modi
International Grand Prix badminton tournament here today.
World number eight Saina survived a scare to pip fifth
seed Fransiska Ratnasari of Indonesia 11-21 21-4 21-19 in a
54-minute battle and set up a semifinal clash with sixth seed
Jeanine Cicognini of Switzerland, while Chetan beat sixth seed
compatriot Anup Sridhar 21-18 21-10 in just 29 minutes.
In a see-saw battle, Gurusaidutt held his nerve in
crucial moments to beat Andre 21-18 21-16 in a 42 minutes to
reach the semifinals, where he will meet Chetan tomorrow.
Fourth seed Aditi Mutatkar also made merry notching up a
21-12 21-14 win over compatriot seventh seed Trupti Murgunde
in 24 minutes in the women's singles.
However, it was end of road for Parupalli Kashyap, Sai
Praneet B, PV Sindhu and Sikki Reddy.
While fourth seed Kashyap went down fighting to fifth
seed Indonesian Dyonisius Hayom Rumbaka 24-22 19-21 21-12 in a
57-minute battle, Sai put up a spirited fight before losing to
Malaysian Kwong Beng Chan 13-21 20-22 in men's singles.
Promising shuttler Sindhu took a game away from her
fancied rival second seed Maria Febe Kusumastuti of Indonesia
before going down 21-15 4-21 11-21, while Sikki lost 20-22
18-21 to sixth seed Swiss Jeanine Cicognini.
Gurusaidutt started the proceeding for India and opened
up a 2-0 lead in the first game but Andre came back strongly
to go 7-4 up soon.
The Indian then pocketed three straight points to draw
parity at 8-all and then moved neck and neck till 17-17 before
breaking loose to seal the first game.
In the decider, the Indian was more ruthless as from 2-2,
he zoomed to a three point lead at 9-6 but the Indonesian soon
caught hold of him at 9-9 and 12-12. Gurusaidutt soon knocked
down five straight points to lead 17-12 and eventually sealed
the issue as Andre's game crumbled.
Saina too had a tough match as the Indian was a game
down but she held her nerves to tide over the Indonesian.
"I didn't expect the match to be so tough. I was losing
some shots as I was smashing from mid-court and I was finding
it easier to play from one side of the court but I pulled it
off in the end," she said after the match.
"Since I have played too many tournaments this year, my
fitness is also a little down but I have improved in my
strokes," she added.
Among others in fray, second seed Tarun Kona and Arun
Vishnu spanked compatriots Arun Nandaluri and Srujan Nandaluri
21-9 21-9, while top seed Akshay Dewalkar and Jishnu Sanyal
pipped fellow Indians Sanave Thomas and Diju Valiyaveetil
21-14 14-21 21-17 in the men's doubles.
In the women's doubles, however, it was curtains for top
seeds Aparna Balan and Shruti Kurian as they lost 15-21 21-8
12-21 to Indonesian pair of Nadya Melati and Devi Tika
Permatasari.

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Saina, Chetan reach finals of Syed Modi
Amit Kumar Das
Lucknow, Dec 19 (PTI) Top India shuttlers Saina Nehwal
and Chetan Anand did not break sweat and sailed into the
finals, but it was the resurgence of Aditi Mutatkar that was
the highlight of the day in the Syed Modi International
Grand Prix tournament here today.
World number eight Saina trounced sixth seeded
Switzerland's Jeanine Cicognini 21-12 21-10 in just 24
minutes, while 17th ranked Chetan came better off compatriot
RMV Gurusaidutt 21-16 21-13 in a battle that lasted 35
minutes.
Chetan will now take on fifth seeded Indonesian Dyonisius
Hayom Rumbaka in the final tomorrow.
But it was Aditi, who stole the show with her
power-packed performance, as the fourth seeded Indian saw off
second seeded Maria Febe Kusumastuti of Indonesia in a
33-minute clash.
Aditi, in a see-saw battle, cruised to a 5-2 lead and
kept her rival on the toes but the Indonesian slowly narrowed
the gap and drew level at 14-all and 20-all, before Aditi
grabbed two crucial point to seal the first game in her
favour.
The second game started on an aggressive note as the duo
moved neck and neck from 2-2 to 6-6 to take the lead, but with
Aditi in full flow, the Indonesian opponent's game crumbled as
she conceded five points to allow Aditi to zoom past with 13-7
lead. She then gave away four more points to Aditi on the trot
before the Indian eventually wrapped up the issue.
"This is my first final of the year and I am very happy.
After my injury early this year, I was going through a tough
phase and this win has given me a lot of confidence and
self-belief," Aditi told PTI after the match.
While Aditi had a tough battle, Saina had a walk in the
park as she thrashed the Switzerlander after involving in some
deft net play which left her rival without any clue.
"I expected the match to be easy and it was easy. Unlike
yesterday's match where I was stretched, I did not have any
problem today," Saina said.
Among other Indians in fray, third seeded mixed-doubles
pair of Shruti Kurian and Tarun Kona beat Indonesian duo of
Devi Tika Permatasari and Adnan Fauzi 21-18 19-21 21-16 in a
43-minute match to set up a clash with compatriots Aparna
Balan and Arun Vishnu, who beat fellow-mates Pradnya Gadre and
Akshay Dewalkar 18-21 22-20 22-20 in 40 minutes.
In men's doubles, second seeded Tarun Kona and Arun Vishnu
lost to Indonesian pair of Adnan Fauzi and Tri Kusumawardana
17-21 21-13 16-21, while top seeded Akshay Dewalkar and Jishnu
Sanyal defeated fourth seeded Alwin Francis and Shankar Gopan
19-21 21-8 21-18 in another match.
In women's doubles, Megha Marin Ninan and Prajakta Sawant
brushed aside the challenge of Indonesian pair Nadya Melati
and Devi Tika Permatasari 15-21 8-21.

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Saina is a breath of fresh air in badminton: Taufik
Lucknow, Dec 19 (PTI) Ace India shuttler Saina Nehwal is
like a breath of fresh air in a sport dominated by the Chinese
and with national coach Pullela Gopichand around she is in
safe hands, feels ace Indonesian shuttler Taufik Hidayat.
Taufik feels with Saina and Chetan Anand leading the
charge, Indian shuttlers have a great future ahead.
"With Saina and Chetan playing well, India can be a force
to reckon with in badminton in future.
"Saina is like a breath of fresh air in women's singles
which has been dominated by the Chinese and coach Gopichand
has been a great guide for her. I feel with Gopichand around,
Saina will get the best tips and guidance which will help her
perform and prolong her life in the court," Taufik said.
Taufik, who considers his 2004 Summer Olympics gold medal
as his best, said currently the Chinese are dominating the
game globally as they have the best regeneration process.
"The Chinese are way ahead in badminton at the moment.
Their domination and team strength is great as they have great
bench strength. They keep producing players one after another,
so they have the best second and third line players," he said.
The champion Indonesian shuttler had a very good season
and he feels turning professional early in the year has helped
his performance.
"Going professional early this year has helped me to
focus more and have given me the freedom, which was missing
when I was with the national team. Now I can choose which
tournament to play and the freedom has been reflected in my
performance," Taufik said.
The six-time Indonesian Super Series champion won the
Indian Open, US Open and Macau Open this year.
Asked about his rivalry with three-time world champion
Lin Dan of China, Taufik said, "Currently he is the best. Dan
is in his golden age as I was when I was 24-24. His all round
capability, speed, stamina are unparellel."
Taufik, who was here to play an exhibition match for
Yonex in Syed Modi International Grand Prix tournament, said
unlike this year he would like to take part in the tournament
next time around.
"The facilities and the court are really good out here
and I would like to come here next year as a player and
participate. Lets see how things pan out," he said.
Asked about his favourite player, the 2005 World Champion
said his first coach Iie Sumirat remains his icon.
"My coach Sumirat remains my favourite. He used to teach
me when I was young. He belonged to the 1970s era," said
Taufik, who won the Asian Games twice.

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Saina, chetan win singles titles in Syed Modi GP tourney
Amit Kumar Das
Lucknow, Dec 20 (PTI) Saina Nehwal and Chetan Anand
clinched the singles titles of the USD 50,000 Jaypee Cup Syed
Modi International Grand Prix badminton tournament to end the
season on a high note, here today.
India's domination was quite evident as apart from the
women's singles and men's singles titles, the hosts also won
the mixed doubles crown and its men's doubles team also made
the summit clash at the Babu Banarasi Das UPBA Academy here.
World number eight Saina scored a convincing 21-17, 21-13
win over fourth seed compatriot Aditi Mutatkar in the women's
singles summit clash.
"This is my biggest win as I have won it in India. I was
in desperate need of this win as I didn't have a very good
second half because of fever. So I am really happy to win it
here," Saina said after the match.
World number 17 Chetan overcame a second-game lapse to
beat fifth seed Indonesian Dyonisius Hayom Rumbaka 21-17,
19-21, 21-16 in the men's singles final.
Both the winners earned USD 3,750 each as prize money.
Second seeds Aparna Balan and Arun Vishnu also notched up
their second title of the year when they pipped fellow Indian
third seeds Shruti Kurian and Tarun Kona 21-14, 17-21, 21-19
in a gruelling mixed doubles final.
However, it was a disappointing day for the men's doubles
pair of Akdhay Dewalkar and Jisnhu Sanyal, who lost the
thrilling final 25-27, 25-23, 15-21 to Indonesian pair of
Adnan Fauzi and Tri Kusumawardana.
In the women's doubles final, third seeded Japanese pair
of Misaki Matusutomo and Akaya Tekahashi defeated Indonesian
duo Nadya Melati Devi Tika Permatasari 21-14, 15-21 21-15.
In the all Indian women's singles final, Saina used her
wide range of strokes and deft net play to see off Aditi, who
was a bit off-colour today.
The Hyderabadi quickly opened up a 6-1 lead and although
Aditi narrowed the gap a number of times from 6-7 to 17-18,
Saina had the last laugh as she sealed the first game.
Aditi employed a defensive approach and tried to tire out
Saina but her ploy didn't work as Saina mixed attack with
defense.
In the second game, Aditi changed her racquet but still
couldn't change the course of the game and conceded three
points first to allow Saina zoom to 3-0. Soon the world number
eight widened the gap and Aditi's game crumbled.

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My wins have changed world's perception towards India: Saina
Amit Kumar Das
Lucknow, Dec 20 (PTI) She broke the Chinese stranglehold
in badminton with her successes and Saina Nehwal feels her
feat has not only changed the perception of world towards
India but also inspired other shuttlers globally to challenge
China in their own game.
"I never take my opponents as Chinese or Indonesian. But
I feel with me winning more against them, the perception of
the Chinese and the whole world towards India has changed,"
Saina told PTI.
"It has also given other countries the confidence that we
can also beat the Chinese. So it is not only about India but
it has also inspired other countries to beat the Chinese in
their game," she added.
World number eight Saina said while this year she went a
step ahead with her Indonesian Super Series win, it was the
Beijing Olympics quarterfinal appearance that really imbibed
confidence and self belief in her.
"The year was very good. I won the Indonesian Super
Series, something which I still don't believe because I had
never thought I could win it so early in my career. And its
not about just this win, I had a number of quarterfinal and
semifinal appearances," she said.
"But it was the Olympics performance which gave me lot of
confidence to beat top players. The Chinese Taipei win helped
me a lot in world juniors.
"This year I have improved lot on my strokes. If last
year was more of running, this year I have improved on my
strokes, movement and also in my defence. So, I feel I have
gained a lot overall as a player," Saina said.
Asked if there is any grey area which is a matter of
concern for her, Saina said, "I am an attacking player but I
feel I still have to improve on my defence and strokes. I know
my smashes are good but I still have to improve, I have to
keep improving always. To win at international level I have to
improve on my stamina and strokes."
The 20-year-old Hyderabadi said with three major events
in Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships
round the corner, next year she will cut down on her Super
Series appearances to prepare for the tournaments.
"Next year's challenges will be the Commonwealth Games,
Asian Games and the World Championships. I am really looking
forward to these three events. I am not thinking much about
ranking.
"I will skip a lot of tournaments next year. I will be
skipping a lot of Super Series tournaments as my focus will be
to do well in these three tournaments," Saina said.
Asked about her expectations from the October 3-14 slated
Delhi Games, Saina promised to give her best in the megaevent.
"I don't want to tell what I have in my mind right now. I
just want to give my best. Everybody is playing well, even the
Malaysians are playing well. I can't say that I am going to
win but I can say I will give my best shot," she said.

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Onus on youngsters to make India badminton powerhouse: Saina
Lucknow, Dec 20 (PTI) Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal feels
India has got facilities as good as anywhere in the world and
it is upto the youngsters to make use of them and perform in
international tournaments for the country to become a
badminton powerhouse in the next seven years.
"It will take time for an Indian to win a super series
again and so the onus is on the young players like Sikki
(Reddy), (PV) Sindhu and others to train hard and perform
internationally. That can take India to the top league within
the next 6-7 years," Saina told reporters here today.
"The facilities in India are quite good now. The
facilities at Lucknow, Hyderabad and Pune are very good and so
now it's the responsibility of the junior players to carry on
the good work," she said after beating Aditi Mutatkar to win
the Syed Modi International Grand Prix singles title here.
Saina said she was in desperate need of this title and
was a little tense because she was facing an Indian in the
final.
"This is my biggest win as I have won it in India. I was
in desperate need of this win as I didn't have a very good
second half of the year because of health problems. So I am
really happy to win here," said Saina who won Indonesian super
series in June.
"There is always a tension and pressure when you play an
Indian. I have played her at least 10 times, so I was 60 per
cent confident of winning. Aditi is a good rally player but
she was defensive today," she said.