New Delhi: Moments after pulling off the biggest title victory of her career, Saina Nehwal said the trumph at the Indonesian Super Series was a "dream come true" but she never expected it to come at such an early age.
World number eight Saina beat number third ranked Chinese Lin Wang 12-21 21-18 21-9 in a 49-minute hard-fought summit showdown in Jakarta.
"It is a dream come true for me, it couldn't have been better. I am elated, excited and shocked as well. I always wanted to win a Super series but I have never thought I will win it at such an early age," she said.
"I was playing well all these months but losing close matches against top ranked players so it was a litte difficult to believe that I have actually won. It took time for the realisation to sink in," she said from Jakarta.
In the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, Saina put in umpteen hours as part of her strict daily training regime and the 20-year-old player says she is happy that her hard work has finally paid off.
"I have always believed in working hard and have given my everything in training and during the matches and so I feel extremely happy and proud of my achievement," she said.
The Hyderabadi girl, who won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold tournament in September last year, ranked the Indonesian Open title win as her best ever performance till date.
"It has to be my best win because I have defeated two Chinese players in this tournament. There was Lan Lu, whom I defeated in straight games and then here today against Wang, I rallied well and beat her under 10 points in the third game," Saina said.
Saina thanked her Indonesian coach Atik Jauhari for devising a proper strategy for her so that she could win over Wang.
"The Indonesian supporters have been very supportive and I am thankful to coach, who gave me a very good plan as how to go about my match. The plan fell perfectly in place as she was under pressure," she said.
Saina is now eyeing the World Championship and a place in the top five.
"I want to break into the top five now but my first priority is the World Championship in Hyderabad in August. I want to work harder and perform better with each match," she said.
Saina will next feature in the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold tournament starting from June 23.
Pullela Gopichand said, "The way she has played through out the tournament, it reflects the hard work she has put up in all these years.
"It will give her a lot of confidence and help her perform even better in the World Championship and also give impetus to India's preparation of the important tournament in Hyderabad in August," he added.
Reflecting on the match, Gopichand said, "She played aggressive badminton and grabbed her chances and also played better in the nets today. She has been very patient."
"Saina always likes players whom she has played against before, it is very typical of her and since she had played her last week, she was very comfortable with Wang," he added.
Gopichand further said that it was important to have patience and give her time so that she can come up with some stunning performances.
"Many people ask why she is not winning enough tournaments. We have to realise that she is just 19 years old. We need to give her time to go ahead", Gopichand said.
"The greatest quality of Saina is that every time she takes the courts, she makes sure of giving her 100 per cent," he said.
Saina's father Harvir Singh said he really felt very proud with her daughter's achievement.
"My happiness knows no bounds. She has not only made me proud but by her feat she has also made India proud. I feel this win will boost her morale and she will put more hard work to her game to bring more laurels for the country," he said.
