City shuttlers hit the right notes

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With just over a month’s time left for the mother of all multi-sport competitions, the London Olympics, medal prospects for India have never looked brighter, at least as far as badminton is concerned. Hyderabad’s Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap will take the court for India when the badminton competition gets underway at the Wembley Arena. They would have had a month to improve upon their already stupendous show at the Indonesia Open Superseries Premier. While Saina went on to win the title, Kashyap went down fighting in the semifinals to Guatemalan Kevin Cordon.

More than the eventual result, the path carved out by the duo in their respective events in the competition has been most impressive. Both Saina and Kashyap struck at the very heart of world badminton dominance — China. Kashyap toppled the men’s top seed, Chen Long in the second round while Saina sent Shixian Wang, the World No.4, packing in the quarterfinals before scripting a brilliant comeback victory against World No.3 Xuerui Li.

Kashyap’s semifinal finish is his best at such a high-profile event since the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010, where he finished with a bronze medal, and the 25-year-old seems primed to give the more fancied shuttlers a right scare come July. With her performance in Jakarta, Saina sent out a clear signal that when push comes to shove, she is well capable of battling and defeating the best, amply illustrated by her quarterfinal victory over Shixian and the triumph in the title clash against Li.

Saina, for whom the Chinese have always been a bugbear, seems to have conquered her complex and will be a more formidable opponent at the Olympics as a result. In both the matches, Saina was on the brink of defeat, facing match point in the second game. In both instances, Saina not only saved the match point, but went on to win the game and subsequently the match.

What was even more impressive was the fact that this was Saina’s second week of competitive badminton on the trot and her resilience and determination to win surprised even coach Pullela Gopichand, who had said as much after the Indonesia title victory.

It was Saina’s tactical nous that won her the title. Combating physical and mental exertion as well as an opponent whose strength is the fast game, Saina dictated terms, forcing Li to match her own slower pace, thus unsettling her rhythm before eventually defeating her. Saina and Kashyap will want to take the fullest advantage of their sky-high confidence and undeniable momentum to be fighting fit for the Games.