Saina regains fitness, eyes Japan Open

NEW DELHI: Gearing up for her return after a month-long break, ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal said she has regained full fitness and would be at
the top of her game during next week's Japan Open Super Series.

Saina was down with chicken pox weeks before the World Badminton Championship last month but the Hyderabadi battled on to become the first Indian to reach the quarterfinal of the blue-ribbon event.

Having regained her full fitness, the world number seven will now return to the court next week in the Japan Open Super Series starting September 22 and the 19-year-old said she is ready for the challenge.

"I needed a break to be on top of my game and fitness after chicken pox. So, this break has helped refresh me," Saina said.

"It is a tough draw. I am in the second half and there are players like Pi Hongyan, Tine Russmussen. So, it is difficult but I am not bothered. At the moment, it's just the first match and I am well prepared for the challenge."

Saina will open her campaign against world number 10 Chinese Yanjiao Jiang and Beijing Olympics quarter-finalist said it wouldn't be an easy match.

"I am playing the world number 10 and I have played her twice and the last time was in the Asian Championship. I lost in three sets. But I am prepared this time and will give her a good fight," she said.

Saina couldn't participate in the ongoing China Masters after missing the deadline for sending the entries which resulted in a mild slump in her world rankings but the Indonesian Super Series winner said she is not thinking about her rankings right now.

"I know I couldn't play the China Open and my rankings went down because of that. It is a concern but I am not thinking about rankings," she said.

Saina needs to be within the top-eight bracket to qualify for the all-important World Super Series Masters final in December and the Indian said she was confident of making the cut.

"The World Super Series Masters is too far away at the moment. After the Japan Open, I am playing four Super Series this year -- Denmark, France, Hong Kong and China and I know if can win the Indonesian Open, I can win these Super Series too, which will again raise my rankings," she said.

Asked if she would be jittery when she takes the court after remaining out of action for a month, Saina conceded she might have to tackle a bit of nervousness initially.

"After a break you tend to get a little jittery and nervous at the start but after two points things come back to normal. So it’s ok. I think I have played enough international tournaments to deal with it and it is not a problem," she said.

Taipei title is history now, focused on Japan Open: Jwala

Not the one to bask in past glory, ace Indian doubles player Jwala Gutta has already forgotten her Chinese Taipei win and is gearing up for the Japan Open that gets underway next week.


Jwala and V Diju are the world number seven mixed doubles pair and the duo won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold last month but the Hyderabadi girl said she has gotten over the euphoria of winning the title and is focusing on the Japan Open, which starts on September 22.

"Chinese Taipei is past now. I have already forgotten about it. It was a good experience, good exposure and boosted our confidence but Japan Open is a bigger tournament and a different tournament altogether and we are prepared for that," Jwala said.

Japan Open Super Series is the first tournament in which Jwala and Diju are competing after their Taiwan title win and she doesn't want to set any target for the event.

"I have never set any targets for myself. I don't believe in setting targets. We have been training hard and are well prepared for the tournament. I just want to perform consistently. So that even if we lose, we don't feel that we didn't play our best," Jwala said.

"We are playing a Thai pair in the first round and they are really good. They were in the top five earlier but of late they haven't played in the last couple of tournaments.

"We played them in the first Indian Open two years ago. We lost in the first round. I know things are different now but they are very experienced and we cannot take them lightly. For me, it is the first round which matters now," Jwala said.

Her partner V Diju, however, said he is hoping for at least a semi-final appearance.

"I am aiming to reach atleast the semifinals," Diju said. "Winning the Chinese Taipei title has helped improve my confidence level. I am not under any pressure and I am enjoying my game now," he added.

After Japan Open, Jwala and Diju will play in the Danish Open, French Open in the European circuit and will also feature in the Hong Kong and China Open later in the year.

This would be followed by the all-important World Super Series Masters in December, if they can qualify for the event by being in the world top eight.

Jwala will also combine with Ashwini Poppanna in the women's doubles event in the Japan Open and the 26-year-old said she was confident of a good show.

"Me and Ashwini have been performing consistently. We reached the quarter-finals in Taiwan and I'm confident we will be performing well in Japan too. I am not thinking of any ranking points at the moment. The focus is on improving our performance with each tournament," she said.

Jwala-Diju pair pulls out of Macau Open

Hyderabad, Aug 16 India's mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju pulled out of the Macau Open after the latter picked up a back injury during their lost quarterfinal match in the World Badminton Championship at the Gachibowli stadium here.

The world number eight pair was seeded second in the tournament which starts on Wednesday at Macau city but the decided to skip the tournament and would next play in the Chinese Taipei Gold Grand Prix starting August 25.

"I felt a little stiffness in my back during our last match, so I decided to skip the Macau Open and take some rest so that we can play in the Chinese Taipei. It is not serious, its just an old pain. I'm okay and we would leave for Chinese Taipei next Sunday," Diju told PTI. - (Agencies)

'Super' Dan completes hat-trick, China sweeps World C'ship

Hyderabad: Defending champion Lin Dan of China completed a hat-trick of titles while compatriot Lan Lu clinched her maiden gold medal as the Asian superpower swept the World Badminton Championship at the Gachibowli stadium here today.

In an all-Chinese men's singles final, world number five and Olympic champion Lin outplayed second ranked Chen 21-18 21-16 in a battle that lasted for 46 minutes, while seventh seed Lu prevailed over fifth seed Xingfang Xie 23-21 21-12 in 38 minutes.

China also won the men's and women's double titles.

Eighth seeds Yawen Zhang and Tingting Zhao outlasted their compatriots and second seeds Shu Cheng and Yunlei Zhao 17-21 21-17 21-16 in the men's doubles final that lasted over an hour.

Later, fifth seeds Yun Cai and Haifeng Fu beat fourth seeded Korean pair of Jae Sung Jung and Yong Dae Lee 21-18 16-21 28-26 in an edge-of-the-seat women's doubles final in 75 minutes.

However, the Danish combination of Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl prevented a clean sweep by China when they pulled off the biggest victory of their career beating defending champion and second seeded Indonesian pair of Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir in straight games.

Seventh seeded Thomas-Kamilla pair brushed aside their opponents 21-13 21-17 in 38 minutes.

Fifth seed Lin rode on his lightening smashes and long rallies while Chen committed a series of unforced errors.

Lin pushed Chen into the backfoot after an initial neck and neck competition at 6-6. The left handed Lin soon opened up a five point lead at 11-6 as Chen was left doing the catch up act.

The second game was no different as Lin again moved ahead from the start. Chen bounced back to take the lead at 6-5 but a flurry of unforced errors cooked his goose.
Lin drew parity at 9-9 and then after moving together till 14-14, he surged ahead with two power-packed smashes and soon sealed the match.

"This is the first time I am here in India and it has been a great experience. I am happy to win the title," Lin said after the match.

"I am no genius, I just worked hard like my other teammates and I believe all my teammates can win the title as they work hard too," he added.

Asked if he is aiming gold in the London Olympics, Lin said, "That's is too far. For the moment I just want to play better in all the tournaments of this year."

Lin had won the World Championship in 2006 and 2007, apart from winning four All England titles (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009) and Beijing Olympics gold medal.

He helped China win three consecutive Thomas Cup championships in 2004, 2006 and 2008 and has also been a major contributor to Chinese teams which won the Sudirman Cup in 2005, 2007 and 2009.

Chen, who was playing his first world championship final, said he wasn't disappointed as his country has won the gold and that matters the most.

"There is no point to be disappointed as the title will go to China's pocket," he said.

Asked about the match, Chen said, "Before the match, I felt I had a chance but he (Lin) is much more experienced than me. He has played in three world championships now. For me, it is my first world championship and I know with time I will play better in future."

"I was nervous before the match and Lin seized more opportunities in crucial moments, which I couldn't," he added.

Asked what did the coach tell him before the match, Chen said, "Nothing specific, just said go and have fun."

In the women's singles final, Lu turned the table against the 2005 and 2006 world champion Xingfang to win her maiden world championship title.

Lu relied long rallies and strong smashes, and didn't allow her rival to come back into the game after winning a see-saw first game.

In the second game, Lu led from the start. Although Xingfang tried to come back, equalling at 9-9, she soon ran out of steam as Lu kept the momentum going.

"I finished the long rallies quickly and smashed hard and didn't give her a chance to come back. The first game was a really tough game but I didn't expect the second game to be so easy," Lu said after the match.

Asked if she fancies to be the number one, Lu said, "May be some day I will but I have to practice harder and win more such tournaments."

Xingfang said he was feeling a lack of energy after playing so many tough matches.
"I was feeling a lack of energy after playing some tough matches. After the Olympics, I feel with so many young Chinese players coming up, the drive is not that great," she said.

Thomas and Kamilli, who broke the Asian hegemony in the tournament, said it was the biggest day of their career and they were pleasantly shocked after the win.

"It's an amazing feeling. I am still shaking with the excitement. It got to be the biggest day of our career," Thomas said.

"I can now imagine what it means to be a world champion," he added.

Kamilla said this win will help Europeans to take the game to a new height.

"It is a great feeling. I hope this will inspire a lot of people in Denmark and Europe to take the game," she said.

'Super Dan' leads China's domination in World championship

Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Aug 15 (PTI) Defending champion Lin Dan reached the finals after outlasting Sony Dwi Kuncoro in a thrilling three-game match as China's domination continued in the World Badminton championship at the Gachobowli stadium here today.
The World number five prevailed 21-14 13-21 21-15 over the sixth seed Indonesian in an edge-of-the-seat match that last more than an hour.
It will be an all chinese final in the men's and women's singles as World number two Chen Jin notched up an easy 21-16 21-6 victory over World number four Taufik Hidayat in a 39 minutes match.
In the women's singles too, China's Lu Lan beat compatriot Wang Lin to set up a summit clash with teammate Xingfang Xie tomorrow.
Lan, a bronze medalist at the World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, outgunned Wang 21-18 21-19 in 47 minutes, while 2005 and 2006 World champion Xingfang took just 33 minutes to dispatch Pi of France 21-18 21-8 in the semifinals today.
In a match that saw fortunes fluctuate too often, Sony made a remarkable comeback after a game down and snatched the second game but still couldn't make it to the finals as Lin had the last laugh.
"Sony had a good tournament. He played very patiently yesterday and today also he kept his patience and played with maturity. He did not allow me to finish off the game quickly," said Lin, who had defeated Sony in the finals of 2007 World championship.
"I am very relaxed after the Olympics and I am not thinking about winning or losing. It doesn't matter who wins tomorrow because we are both Chinese. The thing that matters most is that our country is assured of a gold, which shows the dominance of China in badminton," he added.
"I tried to slow the game down but he was quick with his strokes. He is special. You can slow down and have patience but you will still need that killer stroke to beat him," Sony said.
"My energy level was down today after playing the last few matches but I was not afraid," he added.
In the other match, fourth seed Taufik proved no match against second ranked Chen as the Chinese retrieved all his smashes and flicked in hard.
In the first game, Taufik had opened up a 4-0 lead but Chen soon drew parity and scrapped past him and although the Indonesian clawed back at 14-all, the Chinese moved ahead and pocketed the game comfortably.
Charged up by the first game win, Chen didn't give any chance to his rival and after taking a 8-0 lead went for the kill straight away as Taufik's crumbled under pressure.
"I didn't know how to play against him," Taufik said.
"I tried whatever I could. I smashes, played net dribbles but he was too good," he added.
"But he is 23 and I am 28. He is fitter and younger. If I was young like him, I would have beaten him surely," he quipped.
Chen said he didn't allow Taufik to play freely and kept him away from the nets.
"I didn't give him chance to play at the nets and he was a little slow today, may be because of the tougher matches that he played in the tournament so far but I respect him a lot," he said.
The women's doubles final will also be an all Chinese affair after eighth seed Chinese pair of Yawen Zhang and Tingting Zhao beat fifth seed teammates Jing Du and Yang YU 24-22 18-21 21-8 in a 68 minutes match to face off with compatriots second seed Shu Cheng and Yunlei Zhao.
Cheng-Zhao beat sixth seeded combo of Jin Ma and Xiaoli Wang 21-16 21-12 in a 37-minute semifinal.
However, in the mixed doubles, Seventh seed Dane mixed doubles pair of Thomas Laybourne and Kamilla Rytter Juhl scripted history reaching their first world championship final today beating top seed Korean Yong Dae Lee and Hyo Jung Lee 18-21 21-9 21-18 in an hour match.
But their compatriots sixth seeded combo of Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen could not emulate them and fell 18-21 21-14 18-21 to second seed Indonesian pair of Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir in 59 minutes.
After the match, Kamilla said she can't believe that they are in the finals and credited the win to the attacking game that they played all through out.
"I can't believe it, I am just so happy," Kamilla said. "I was feeling dizzy today but may be it worked as I was more calm."
"This is one of the biggest win. We beat the chinese yesterday and today the Korean. We kept on attacking and won the long rallies," she added.
Her partner Thomas said the fact that they have nothing to prove actually helped them.
"We were solid and made fewer mistakes. We knew they were the favourite and so didn't have any pressure," he said.
In the men's doubles, fifth seed Chinese Yun Cai and Haifeng FU saw off eighth seed Malaysian pair of Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari 18-21 24-22 21-15 in just under 60 minutes.
The Chinese pair will face off with fourth seed Korean combo of Jae Sung JUNG and Yong Dae Lee, who beat second seed Malaysian pair of Kien Keat Koo and Boon Heong Tan 16-21 21-14 22-20 in a see-saw battle of 53 minutes. PTI ATK

Thomas one step away from realising World C’ship title dream

Hyderabad: Denmark’s Thomas Laybourne had once bade adiue to badminton after losing interest in the game but now being close to fulfiling his world championship title dream along with his mixed doubles partner Kamilla Rytter Juhl, the shuttler feels he had taken the right decision of returning back to the sport.

Thomas and Kamilla today reached the finals of the mixed doubles event in the World Badminton Championship, beating top seed Korean pair of Yong Dae Lee and Hyo Jung Lee 18-21, 21-9, 21-18.

“I lost interest in badminton when I was 17 years old and so had stopped playing but I started playing again after a couple of years and today reaching the finals here, I feel that was the right decision,” Thomas said after the semifinal victory.

Returning to the court, however, was not easy and it was only in 2004 that Thomas, partnering Kamilla won his first big tournament
, the Dutch Open and then followed it up with the Danish national in 2005.

Thomas, who will touch 32 this September, said he wants to win the World Championship and an Olympic gold before retiring.

“I have these two goals in life and now that the world championship is a step away I would carry on till the London Olympics in 2012.”

“I know I am 31 but honestly I feel young and fresh. I want to train harder and make a last ditch at the London Olympics, after that may be I’ll stop,” he said.

The Dane duo also won the 2008 World Super Series Masters and was the finalist in the All England Championship in 2005.

Thomas, however, rued the absence of proper infrastructure for the game in Denmark.

“We don’t have proper facilites back home and we can train only for 2-3 hours which is not enough,” he said.

He felt the reason behind Asia’s domination in badminton is their early introduction to the game.

“We get education first and then we persue badminton and so it takes time to get mature and be at your best, where as in Asian countries like China and Malaysian, they start so early. It is a problem but may be its two different countries so things are different,” Thomas signed off.

Saina, Jwala-Diju crash out

Hyderabad, Aug 14 (PTI) Indian challenge ended in the World
Badminton Championship with ace shuttler Saina Nehwal and mixed
doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju crashing out of the tournament
after losing their respective matches here today.
Saina produced a gallant fight against second seed Lin Wang but
the better prepared Chinese made few mistakes and outlasted the Indian
22-20 21-19 a 39-minute battle to reach the semifinals where she meets
compatriot Lu Lan.
In the mixed doubles event, Jwala-Diju fell prey to defending
champions and second seeded Indonesian combo of Nova Widianto and
Liliyana Natsir 6-21 14-21 in just 27 minutes.
In a day marked by a series of upsets, top seeds Malaysian Lee
Chong Wei and Zhou Mi of Hong Kong also crashed out of the world
badminton championship after suffering contrasting defeats in the
men's and women's singles event.
World number one Lee failed to live upto the expectation as
Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro produced the biggest upset of the
tournament, dispatching the Malaysian 21-16 14-21 21-12 in an hour
hard-fought battle.
On the other hand, Chinese Xingfang Xie proved too could for the
world number one Zhou. She beat her 21 -15 21-18 in a match that
lasted for 47 minutes.
Among others in fray, eighth seed Hongyan Pi from france bounced
back from a game down to tame 11th seed German Juliane Schenk 15-21
21-15 21-19 in a match that lasted for more than an hour, while
Seventh seed Lan Lu stunned third seed Tine Rasmussen 21-15 21-13 in
just over an half an hour match.
In the men’s singles, Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia survived a
scare from Dane Jan O Jorgensen and beat him 21-19 21-19 in a
42-minute clash, while second seed Chinese Jin Chen beat 13th seed
Simon Santoso of Indonesia 21-10 21-13 in 43 minutes.
Fifth seed and defending champion Chinese Dan Lin also staved
off the challenege from third seed Peter Hoeg Gade 22-20 21-16 in
49-minute match.
Saina had a rusty start as she allowed Lin to open up a seven
point lead at 8-1 and even though the Hyderabadi drew parity with a
power-puffed smash at 11-11, she couldn’t keep the momentum till the
end.
The world number six took a different approach in the next game
and involved in more long rallies and smashed hard every time the
shuttle went up to secure a eight point lead at 9-1 but the Chinese
was better prepared and reeled off eight points at 10-2 to claw back
into the game and moved neck and neck till 19-19 before wrapping up
the match.
“She was better prepared today. She was defending well. I made a
few silly mistakes but I am happy with my performance. She played
better in the nets and involved in more tabs and pushes which shows
she was prepared,” Saina said.
“I reached the pre-quarters in 2007 and this time I have reached
quarters and I have beaten the top 10 players so I’m satisfied,” she
added.
Her coach Pullela Gopichand also lauded Saina’s effort
especially coming off from a chicken pox bout just 10 days before the
tournament.
“Saina played well, may be could have played better but I feel
she played with rhythm. Recovering from a chicken pox and playing so
well, I couldn’t have aske dfor any thing better,” Gopichand said.
Earlier in the day, Jwala-Diju squandered a three point lead at
9-6 to eventually lose the first game.
The second game was also a lost opportunity as after moving 5-5
initially, the Indian pair couldn’t keep the momentum and was left
doing the catch up act as the Indonesian played a very tactical game
to outplay the Indians.
“We played the way they wanted us to play, which was not cleaver
in any way. WE were playing close to their body and they were more
then comfortable,” Diju said.
“They dominated us completely. They defended our smashes well and
I feel I tried to hurry things up. I should have slowed down and
played long rallies. I lost my patience,” Jwala said.
Meanwhile, after crashing out of the tournament, Lee Chong wei
said he had no clue what went wrong in his game.
"I just couldn't play well today. I had pulled things back in
the second game but I
don't know what happened in the second game," Lee said.
"Sony is no ordinary player, he has beaten me before and he raised his
bar today. I wasn't under any pressure nor I had any problem with the
conditions," he added.
Sony, on the other hand, said he kept attacking and played a brave match
against his rival which paid dividends at the end.
"I have beaten this guy before. I didn't worry before the match. In the
first game, I played a brave match. My stretegy was to attack. I knew that if
I slowed down the game, Lee would beat me. I played smart whenever I got a
chance I attack.
"In the second game, I was mentally down and that's why i lost. I guess
my biggest opponent is me myself," he said.
In the women’s singles, Xingfang felt it was patience and
keeping her cool in crucial moments was the key of her success.
"It was a very close match even though the scoreline might suggest
otherwise. I was more patient then Zhou especially in the second game when we
both were 18-all, I held my nerves and didn't commit any mistake," Xingfang
said.
World number eight Hongyan was also very happy to reach her
maiden world championship quarters and said it was her lucky place.
“I can’t explain how happy I am today,” she said.
“I guess this place is lucky for me,” said Hongyan, won the
Indian Open in March here.
“I was confident but she played really well and kept a high
tempo. I had to be more tactical as she was changing her game too
often. She started off well but I kept teklling myself that I have to
belief in myself. It was a high pressure game,” she said.
But the World number eight said she was not expecting Juliane in
the quarters.
“I was not expecting her but after she won yesterday I had to
change my mind and my game plan,” she said. PTI ATK