Saina closer to No.1 rank
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Dec. 16: Though she is yet to regain her perfect form after a niggling ankle injury, India’s top shuttler Saina Nehwal has been successful in climbing up to the World No.2 rank after her magnificent win at the Hong Kong Open Super Series tournament last week.
“It feels great to be back at No.2,” Saina said, adding, “I am happy that I am able to maintain my position in the top bracket, which is tough because you have to win consistently and rankings are something which keep fluctuating.”
The 20-year-old now has 68,811 points, a mere 2,381 short of World No.1 Xin Wang of China (71,192). Another Chinese, Shixian Wang, is ranked No.3 (67,176).
Yihan Wang, who did not play in Hong Kong, slipped from the top to the fourth spot with 65,308 points while Denmark’s Tine Baun came two places down, to the fifth place with 60,400 points, according to the latest rankings released by the Badminton World Federation on Thursday.
National chief coach Pullela Gopichand was happy about Saina’s improved ranking but pointed out that it was not something static and could change next week. “Players play to win tournaments, not for ranking points. Yes, if your ranking improves because of a tournament, it is a good thing and something to rejoice about and celebrate,” said Gopichand, adding “Ranking are important because they determine seedings during a tournament but they cannot be yardsticks to judge how a player is.”
About Saina becoming World No.1, Gopichand smiled, “She definitely has it in her to be No.1. For all you know it could be after the very next tournaments she plays — the Korean and Malaysian Super Series — depending on some permutations and combinations and how well she plays,” said the Dronacharya Awardee.
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