She has done it again!
Saina Nehwal displayed tremendous form and grit to successfully defend her title at the Swiss Open-2012 Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament that was held at Basel in Switzerland from 13th to 18th March 2012.
I don't know what divine connection Saina Nehwal has with Switzerland.
Perhaps the Gods in the Swiss Alps like her fighting spirit, or perhaps when she is here she just draws her inspiration from the local Swiss hero Roger Federer (who is a native of Basel, the place where this tournament takes place), or perhaps its just because her birthday coincides with the dates of this tournament giving her time to reflect on her life goals, (O my God, one more year gone, I have to win this !! :)), but the fact is that the Swiss Open has become Saina's favourite hunting ground for titles.
That the final match of the Swiss Open-2012 was not going to be easy for Saina, was a foregone conclusion, for looking determinedly at her from the other end of the net was her arch-rival, current World no.3 (and former no.1), Shixian Wang of China.
But didn't someone say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. This mental toughness may have been the deciding factor in the final match, as a resolute Saina Nehwal went about her job with clinical precision defeating Wang 21-19, 21-16 in straight sets to win the match and retain her title.
Last year at the Swiss Open-2011, Saina Nehwal had crushed Ji Hyun Sung of Korea 21-13, 21-14 in the finals in 43 minutes, but as many will recall, the Chinese players had not participated last year. Here's more information about how Saina won the Swiss-Open-2011 last year.
History's been repeating itself the last two years for Saina. She had bowed out of the quarter-finals of the England Open last year, and then went on to win the Swiss title. This year the same story was repeated. A quarter-final loss at the England Open followed by a title win at the Swiss open.
However this year things were different and tougher, with the Chinese players having entered the fray, and if you ask me, just this one fact makes Saina's win this year much more commendable than her victory at the same venue last year.
The win has also been a timely one for Saina Nehwal, coming as it does with the London 2012 Olympics just round the corner. Let's hope that she continues to perform in the same vein throughout the year.
.
Saina Nehwal displayed tremendous form and grit to successfully defend her title at the Swiss Open-2012 Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament that was held at Basel in Switzerland from 13th to 18th March 2012.
I don't know what divine connection Saina Nehwal has with Switzerland.
Perhaps the Gods in the Swiss Alps like her fighting spirit, or perhaps when she is here she just draws her inspiration from the local Swiss hero Roger Federer (who is a native of Basel, the place where this tournament takes place), or perhaps its just because her birthday coincides with the dates of this tournament giving her time to reflect on her life goals, (O my God, one more year gone, I have to win this !! :)), but the fact is that the Swiss Open has become Saina's favourite hunting ground for titles.
That the final match of the Swiss Open-2012 was not going to be easy for Saina, was a foregone conclusion, for looking determinedly at her from the other end of the net was her arch-rival, current World no.3 (and former no.1), Shixian Wang of China.
But didn't someone say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. This mental toughness may have been the deciding factor in the final match, as a resolute Saina Nehwal went about her job with clinical precision defeating Wang 21-19, 21-16 in straight sets to win the match and retain her title.
Last year at the Swiss Open-2011, Saina Nehwal had crushed Ji Hyun Sung of Korea 21-13, 21-14 in the finals in 43 minutes, but as many will recall, the Chinese players had not participated last year. Here's more information about how Saina won the Swiss-Open-2011 last year.
History's been repeating itself the last two years for Saina. She had bowed out of the quarter-finals of the England Open last year, and then went on to win the Swiss title. This year the same story was repeated. A quarter-final loss at the England Open followed by a title win at the Swiss open.
However this year things were different and tougher, with the Chinese players having entered the fray, and if you ask me, just this one fact makes Saina's win this year much more commendable than her victory at the same venue last year.
The win has also been a timely one for Saina Nehwal, coming as it does with the London 2012 Olympics just round the corner. Let's hope that she continues to perform in the same vein throughout the year.
.
