Indian women have been scaling new heights in the field of sports and brought laurels to the country in the last few years. The ZEE News FAIRPLAY - a special day for women achievers in the field of sports - has recognised and honoured the special achievement and extraordinary feats by Indian women in the field of sports. The ZEE News FAIRPLAY is about inspiration, which is the key to everything we do.

Union minister for information and broadcasting Smriti Zubin Irani, Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State Telecom and Railways Manoj Sinha and Minister of State Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel graced the occasion. The glittering function was well attended and took place at The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi.

Smriti Irani, Manoj Sinha and Prakash Javadekar lauded the winners and pointed out India has changed a lot in the last few years.

&quot;Women are coming forward in the sporting arena and it is a welcome development. It is a great sign for our country that our women athletes are winning on the world stage,&quot; said Irani.

Javadekar thanked Zee Media for the event and said that all the awardees have struggled a lot to reach the pinnacle of their sport. He added that their stories are an inspiration for the entire country.

Manoj Sinha and Anupriya Patel spoke about the hard work and tough training followed by the awardees. They expressed hope that all the athletes will continue to do well and bring more laurels for the country.

&quot;Women athletes have to face a lot of discrimination and they are generally treated as being inferior to the men. But this is not the case. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking a personal interest in ensuring we do well in sports. We have launched Khelo India too. We have made a good beginning.

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Women are more powerful and dedicated than men: Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Zee Group (Zee News Network)
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It is time to say &#39;kheloge to khiloge&#39;,&quot; said Anupriya Patel. Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subhash Chandra expressed his happiness at women sportsperson basking in the limelight.

&quot;It is great pleasure for me that Zee Media is felicitating sportswomen. Women are more powerful and dedicated than men. In our society, the men have always looked down upon women. But women are not weak. We will strive to bring more sportswomen forward,&quot; said Dr Chandra.

List of Awardees:

Anjali Bhagwat: The rifle shooter is the first Indian to win at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Champion of Champions combined-air-rifle event when she emerged victorious in the 2002 edition. Anjali was the World Number One in 10m Air Rifle in 2002 and won her first World Cup Final in Milan, in 2003.

Anjali has represented India in three consecutive Olympics. She was a&nbsp;wildcard entry in the 2000 Sydney Olympics but reached the final, a first for an Indian women shooter. She dominated Commonwealth Games in the 10m Air Rifle and Sports Rifle 3P events and won 12 gold and four silver medals. She has won 31 gold, 23 silver and seven bronze medals in international competitions.

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Anjali Bhagwat is the first Indian to win at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Champion of Champions combined-air-rifle event (Zee News Network)
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Saina Nehwal: The 28-year-old is a household name and synonymous with women badminton in the country. She is a former World Number 1 and has represented India in three Olympics - Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. She won the bronze medal at the London Olympics. She has over 23 international titles in her kitty. The government has honoured her with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and the Padma Bhushan.

Sania Mirza: The girl from Hyderabad showed the world that Indian women tennis players can compete with the best. Sania Mirza played in singles, doubles and mixed doubles events, and became the World Number 1 women&#39;s doubles player. She retired from singles in 2013. She became the highest-ranked Indian women player ever when she achieved the World Number 27 in 2007.

She represented India in three Olympics - 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio. The government has conferred on her the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Padma Bhushan.

PV Sindhu: Another Hyderabad link to women sports, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is the second badminton player after Saina to achieve success on the world stage. She won the silver medal at 2016 Rio Olympics, a first for an Indian woman. She and Saina are the only two Indian badminton players to ever win an Olympic medal. She has been consistently ranked among the top five women badminton players in the world and has defeated every top-ranked player.

Deepa Malik: She is the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games when she bagged a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in the shot put. She also has a gold medal in F-53/54 Javelin event at the para athletic Grand Prix held in Dubai in 2018. Coming from the defence background - her father is Colonel (retd) BK Nagpal and husband is Colonel Bikram Singh - she is currently the World Number one in F-53 category. She has been honoured with the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri.

Dipa Karmakar: She is the first Indian women to represent the country at an Olympic Games in gymnastics when she took part in the 2016 Rio Games. The girl from Agartala is also the first Indian gymnast to do so after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. She finished a credible fourth in Women&#39;s Vault event at Rio. Dipa Karmakar is one of the only five women who has successfully landed the Produnova, the most difficult vault currently performed in women&#39;s gymnastics. She has been honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Padma Shri.

MC Mary Kom: Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom has achieved what no other Indian sportsperson has. The boxer from Manipur is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion. She is also the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. She won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the flyweight (51 kg) category. She was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha on April 26, 2016. She has been honoured by the Padma Bhushan, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Karnam Malleswari: The former Indian women weightlifter is the first in the history of Indian Olympics to win a medal. The woman from Andhra Pradesh received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1995 and Padma Shri in 1999.

Krishna Poonia: Born in Haryana&#39;s Agroha village in 1982, Krishna Poonia is a discus thrower. She won the bronze in 2006 Doha Asian Games and gold in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. She has been honoured with Padma Shri in 2011. She has represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Games.

Sakshi Malik: The freestyle wrestler won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 58 kg category. She is the first female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics for India and only the fourth female Olympic medallist from the country. She has also won the silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2015 Doha Asian Wrestling Championships.

Anju Bobby George: She was a heptathlon athlete, to begin with but soon moved to long jump. The 41-year-old made history when she won the long jump bronze medal at the 2003 Paris World Athletics Championships. It was the first time that an Indian athlete had won a medal in a World Athletics Championships. She also bagged the gold at the IAAF World Athletics Final in 2005. She took part in the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2008 Beijing Games, She was awarded the Arjuna Award 
in 2002.

Sunil Dabas: Not a very popular name, Sunil Dabas&#39;s contribution in no less. She has coached the Indian national female Kabbadi team. Her team has won gold medals in the 2010 Asian Games and the 2012 World Cup 2012.She was hounored with the Dronacharya Award in 2012 and Padma Shri in 2014.

Indian Women Cricket Team: From the time India&#39;s women&#39;s cricket came under the wings of BCCI, the team has turned a new chapter of success. The Indian team ended up runners-up in the 2017&nbsp;World Cup in England, losing the final by a narrow margin. Recently, India won the T20 series 3-1 in South Africa and players such as Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana became role models for many a young player. Mithali has also been the highest runscorer in ODI cricket. Harmanpreet and Mandhana have showcased their talent in the Australian Big Bash League too. Harmanpreet has impressed the Aussies with his six-hitting ability.

Indian Women Hockey Team: Led by Rani Rampal, the hockey team recently lifted the Asia Cup for the first time after 2004. While they might still struggle at the world stage, the Indian team has been unparalleled in the Asian circuit. In 2016, the team won their first Asian Champions Trophy and finished the season on a strong note. In the last Asiad, the team won the bronze medal. The team has won gold in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, ended runners-up in 2006 and finished in top five in 2010 and 2014. With the FIH World Cup going to be played later this year, the in-form team has qualified and are touted as a strong contender.

Smriti Irani, Manoj Sinha and Prakash Javadekar lauded the winners and pointed out India has changed a lot in the last few years.

Indian women have been scaling new heights in the field of sports and brought laurels to the country in the last few years. The ZEE News FAIRPLAY - a special day for women achievers in the field of sports - has recognised and honoured the special achievement and extraordinary feats by Indian women in the field of sports. The ZEE News FAIRPLAY is about inspiration, which is the key to everything we do. Union minister for information and broadcasting Smriti Zubin Irani, Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State Telecom and Railways Manoj Sinha and Minister of State Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel graced the occasion. The glittering function was well attended and took place at The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. Smriti Irani, Manoj Sinha and Prakash Javadekar lauded the winners and pointed out India has changed a lot in the last few years. "Women are coming forward in the sporting arena and it is a welcome development. It is a great sign for our country that our women athletes are winning on the world stage," said Irani. Javadekar thanked Zee Media for the event and said that all the awardees have struggled a lot to reach the pinnacle of their sport. He added that their stories are an inspiration for the entire country. Manoj Sinha and Anupriya Patel spoke about the hard work and tough training followed by the awardees. They expressed hope that all the athletes will continue to do well and bring more laurels for the country. "Women athletes have to face a lot of discrimination and they are generally treated as being inferior to the men. But this is not the case. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking a personal interest in ensuring we do well in sports. We have launched Khelo India too. We have made a good beginning. Women are more powerful and dedicated than men: Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Zee Group (Zee News Network) × It is time to say 'kheloge to khiloge'," said Anupriya Patel. Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subhash Chandra expressed his happiness at women sportsperson basking in the limelight. "It is great pleasure for me that Zee Media is felicitating sportswomen. Women are more powerful and dedicated than men. In our society, the men have always looked down upon women. But women are not weak. We will strive to bring more sportswomen forward," said Dr Chandra. List of Awardees: Anjali Bhagwat: The rifle shooter is the first Indian to win at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Champion of Champions combined-air-rifle event when she emerged victorious in the 2002 edition. Anjali was the World Number One in 10m Air Rifle in 2002 and won her first World Cup Final in Milan, in 2003. Anjali has represented India in three consecutive Olympics. She was a wildcard entry in the 2000 Sydney Olympics but reached the final, a first for an Indian women shooter. She dominated Commonwealth Games in the 10m Air Rifle and Sports Rifle 3P events and won 12 gold and four silver medals. She has won 31 gold, 23 silver and seven bronze medals in international competitions. Anjali Bhagwat is the first Indian to win at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Champion of Champions combined-air-rifle event (Zee News Network) × Saina Nehwal: The 28-year-old is a household name and synonymous with women badminton in the country. She is a former World Number 1 and has represented India in three Olympics - Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. She won the bronze medal at the London Olympics. She has over 23 international titles in her kitty. The government has honoured her with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and the Padma Bhushan. Sania Mirza: The girl from Hyderabad showed the world that Indian women tennis players can compete with the best. Sania Mirza played in singles, doubles and mixed doubles events, and became the World Number 1 women's doubles player. She retired from singles in 2013. She became the highest-ranked Indian women player ever when she achieved the World Number 27 in 2007. She represented India in three Olympics - 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio. The government has conferred on her the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Padma Bhushan. PV Sindhu: Another Hyderabad link to women sports, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is the second badminton player after Saina to achieve success on the world stage. She won the silver medal at 2016 Rio Olympics, a first for an Indian woman. She and Saina are the only two Indian badminton players to ever win an Olympic medal. She has been consistently ranked among the top five women badminton players in the world and has defeated every top-ranked player. Deepa Malik: She is the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games when she bagged a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in the shot put. She also has a gold medal in F-53/54 Javelin event at the para athletic Grand Prix held in Dubai in 2018. Coming from the defence background - her father is Colonel (retd) BK Nagpal and husband is Colonel Bikram Singh - she is currently the World Number one in F-53 category. She has been honoured with the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri. Dipa Karmakar: She is the first Indian women to represent the country at an Olympic Games in gymnastics when she took part in the 2016 Rio Games. The girl from Agartala is also the first Indian gymnast to do so after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. She finished a credible fourth in Women's Vault event at Rio. Dipa Karmakar is one of the only five women who has successfully landed the Produnova, the most difficult vault currently performed in women's gymnastics. She has been honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Padma Shri. MC Mary Kom: Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom has achieved what no other Indian sportsperson has. The boxer from Manipur is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion. She is also the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. She won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the flyweight (51 kg) category. She was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha on April 26, 2016. She has been honoured by the Padma Bhushan, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Karnam Malleswari: The former Indian women weightlifter is the first in the history of Indian Olympics to win a medal. The woman from Andhra Pradesh received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1995 and Padma Shri in 1999. Krishna Poonia: Born in Haryana's Agroha village in 1982, Krishna Poonia is a discus thrower. She won the bronze in 2006 Doha Asian Games and gold in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. She has been honoured with Padma Shri in 2011. She has represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Games. Sakshi Malik: The freestyle wrestler won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 58 kg category. She is the first female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics for India and only the fourth female Olympic medallist from the country. She has also won the silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2015 Doha Asian Wrestling Championships. Anju Bobby George: She was a heptathlon athlete, to begin with but soon moved to long jump. The 41-year-old made history when she won the long jump bronze medal at the 2003 Paris World Athletics Championships. It was the first time that an Indian athlete had won a medal in a World Athletics Championships. She also bagged the gold at the IAAF World Athletics Final in 2005. She took part in the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2008 Beijing Games, She was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2002. Sunil Dabas: Not a very popular name, Sunil Dabas's contribution in no less. She has coached the Indian national female Kabbadi team. Her team has won gold medals in the 2010 Asian Games and the 2012 World Cup 2012.She was hounored with the Dronacharya Award in 2012 and Padma Shri in 2014. Indian Women Cricket Team: From the time India's women's cricket came under the wings of BCCI, the team has turned a new chapter of success. The Indian team ended up runners-up in the 2017 World Cup in England, losing the final by a narrow margin. Recently, India won the T20 series 3-1 in South Africa and players such as Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana became role models for many a young player. Mithali has also been the highest runscorer in ODI cricket. Harmanpreet and Mandhana have showcased their talent in the Australian Big Bash League too. Harmanpreet has impressed the Aussies with his six-hitting ability. Indian Women Hockey Team: Led by Rani Rampal, the hockey team recently lifted the Asia Cup for the first time after 2004. While they might still struggle at the world stage, the Indian team has been unparalleled in the Asian circuit. In 2016, the team won their first Asian Champions Trophy and finished the season on a strong note. In the last Asiad, the team won the bronze medal. The team has won gold in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, ended runners-up in 2006 and finished in top five in 2010 and 2014. With the FIH World Cup going to be played later this year, the in-form team has qualified and are touted as a strong contender.

ZEE News honours Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal among other sportswomen

Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal today made a first-round exit from the All England Championship after a straight-game defeat against World No. 1 and defending champion Tai Tzu-Ying, here.

Saina, who had reached the finals in the 2015 edition, couldn&#39;t match up to the precision and athleticism of Tai Tzu, going down 14-21 18-21.

It was Saina&#39;s eighth successive loss to the Taiwanese wizard in five years.

After failing to keep pace with Tai Tzu in the opening game, the 27-year-old Indian blew a 16-11 advantage in the second game to bow out of the USD 1,000,000 world Super 1000 tournament.

Saina, who had lost to Tai Tzu in the finals of the Indonesia Masters early this year, showed a lot of grit to keep herself in the rallies but the Taiwanese was simply phenomenal and displayed her mastery of strokes in the 38-minute clash to once again outwit the Indian.

Saina took some time to get in the groove as her first serve sailed over to the back of the court. Tai Tzu didn&#39;t waste time and jumped to a 3-1 lead before moving to a 6-2 advantage when the Indian failed to connect a low backhand return.

Tai Tzu committed a couple of unforced errors but Saina also made a judgement error on the sidelines and also couldn&#39;t reach for a return at the forecourt as the Taiwanese lead 9-4.

The Indian, however, grabbed three consecutive points after Tai Tzu erred with a cross court flick and netted the smash. Saina managed to level 10-10 with a precise cross court return from the back of the court but Tai Tzu went into the break with a slender one- point lead.

The duo moved together till 14-14 after the breather before Tai Tzu showed her repertoire of shots even as Saina struggled with her control. Once she again went wide on a return on serve, Tai Tzu had six game points and she grabbed it with another accurate return on the Indian&#39;s backhand.

In the second game, Saina showed better control as she opened up a 3-1 lead and soon made it 10-7 with Tai suffering a mid-game slump with unforced errors. Saina then unleashed a brutal smash to enter the break with three-point advantage.

With the Taiwanese sending the shuttle to the net on four occasions on the trot, Saina managed to lead 16-11. But Tai Tzu once again fought back, riding on her accurate stroke play as she made the Indian run across the court with her acute angled returns.

Saina also found the net and sent one long as Tai Tzu narrowed the gap to 15-16 before drawing parity at 17-17 with another razor-sharp cross court return from the back court.

A brilliant block on the move and then a tight net play took the Taiwanese to 20-18 and she shut the door on the Indian after Saina went long again.

Saina, who had reached the finals in the 2015 edition, couldn't match up to the precision and athleticism of Tai Tzu, going down 14-21 18-21.

Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal today made a first-round exit from the All England Championship after a straight-game defeat against World No. 1 and defending champion Tai Tzu-Ying, here. Saina, who had reached the finals in the 2015 edition, couldn't match up to the precision and athleticism of Tai Tzu, going down 14-21 18-21. It was Saina's eighth successive loss to the Taiwanese wizard in five years. After failing to keep pace with Tai Tzu in the opening game, the 27-year-old Indian blew a 16-11 advantage in the second game to bow out of the USD 1,000,000 world Super 1000 tournament. Saina, who had lost to Tai Tzu in the finals of the Indonesia Masters early this year, showed a lot of grit to keep herself in the rallies but the Taiwanese was simply phenomenal and displayed her mastery of strokes in the 38-minute clash to once again outwit the Indian. Saina took some time to get in the groove as her first serve sailed over to the back of the court. Tai Tzu didn't waste time and jumped to a 3-1 lead before moving to a 6-2 advantage when the Indian failed to connect a low backhand return. Tai Tzu committed a couple of unforced errors but Saina also made a judgement error on the sidelines and also couldn't reach for a return at the forecourt as the Taiwanese lead 9-4. The Indian, however, grabbed three consecutive points after Tai Tzu erred with a cross court flick and netted the smash. Saina managed to level 10-10 with a precise cross court return from the back of the court but Tai Tzu went into the break with a slender one- point lead. The duo moved together till 14-14 after the breather before Tai Tzu showed her repertoire of shots even as Saina struggled with her control. Once she again went wide on a return on serve, Tai Tzu had six game points and she grabbed it with another accurate return on the Indian's backhand. In the second game, Saina showed better control as she opened up a 3-1 lead and soon made it 10-7 with Tai suffering a mid-game slump with unforced errors. Saina then unleashed a brutal smash to enter the break with three-point advantage. With the Taiwanese sending the shuttle to the net on four occasions on the trot, Saina managed to lead 16-11. But Tai Tzu once again fought back, riding on her accurate stroke play as she made the Indian run across the court with her acute angled returns. Saina also found the net and sent one long as Tai Tzu narrowed the gap to 15-16 before drawing parity at 17-17 with another razor-sharp cross court return from the back court. A brilliant block on the move and then a tight net play took the Taiwanese to 20-18 and she shut the door on the Indian after Saina went long again.

Saina ousted from All England Championship

Saina Nehwal on Saturday suffered her seventh straight defeat to world no.1 Tai Tzu Ying, going down in the summit clash of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta.&nbsp;

Playing the final of an international tournament after a year, Saina, who is coming back from an ankle injury, failed to lift the veil of deception put by Tai Tzu and went down 9-21 13-21 in 27 minutes in a completely lop-sided final.

Tai Tzu has now defeated the former world No.1 nine times in their last 10 meetings. Saina had enjoyed early success against the Taiwanese till 2011 but the Nehwal has beaten her only once at the 2013 Swiss Open ever since.&nbsp;

Tai Tzu looked very sharp from the word go and jumped to a 10-2 lead early on.

At 7-12, the duo engaged in an epic 43-shot rally which ended with Saina hitting out. She then lost a video referral to concede another point as Tai Tzu reached 14-7.&nbsp;

Both of them erred with their returns and went wide as the score read 16-8.&nbsp;

Saina began the match at a sorry note after Tai Tzu raced to a 3-0 lead.

Even though Saina tried to keep up and fight her way back, the world No.1 played to her billing her toyed with her older opponent.

Saina showed glimpses of her brilliance with some delightful net play and trademark flat shots but Tai Tzu proved to be just too good for her.

Tai Tzu led Saina 11-5 at the break in the first game and even after that Saina failed to pose any real threat to her higher-ranked opponent.

Tai Tzu pushed Saina to all corners of the court and played her way to a comprehensively first game win.

Barring the final, Saina had a brilliant tournament beating the likes of Chen Yufei and Chen Xiaoxin from China, PV Sindhu in the quarter-final and Malaysia Masters winner Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the semi-final on Saturday.

Tai Tzu has now defeated the former world No.1 nine times in their last 10 meetings

Saina Nehwal on Saturday suffered her seventh straight defeat to world no.1 Tai Tzu Ying, going down in the summit clash of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta. Playing the final of an international tournament after a year, Saina, who is coming back from an ankle injury, failed to lift the veil of deception put by Tai Tzu and went down 9-21 13-21 in 27 minutes in a completely lop-sided final. Tai Tzu has now defeated the former world No.1 nine times in their last 10 meetings. Saina had enjoyed early success against the Taiwanese till 2011 but the Nehwal has beaten her only once at the 2013 Swiss Open ever since. Tai Tzu looked very sharp from the word go and jumped to a 10-2 lead early on. At 7-12, the duo engaged in an epic 43-shot rally which ended with Saina hitting out. She then lost a video referral to concede another point as Tai Tzu reached 14-7. Both of them erred with their returns and went wide as the score read 16-8. Saina began the match at a sorry note after Tai Tzu raced to a 3-0 lead. Even though Saina tried to keep up and fight her way back, the world No.1 played to her billing her toyed with her older opponent. Saina showed glimpses of her brilliance with some delightful net play and trademark flat shots but Tai Tzu proved to be just too good for her. Tai Tzu led Saina 11-5 at the break in the first game and even after that Saina failed to pose any real threat to her higher-ranked opponent. Tai Tzu pushed Saina to all corners of the court and played her way to a comprehensively first game win. Barring the final, Saina had a brilliant tournament beating the likes of Chen Yufei and Chen Xiaoxin from China, PV Sindhu in the quarter-final and Malaysia Masters winner Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the semi-final on Saturday.

Saina Nehwal loses to Tzu Ying in Indonesia Masters final

India&#39;s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal today beat badminton champion PV Sindhu to enter semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters&nbsp;in Jakarta.

Saina beat PV Sindhu 21-13, 21-19 to enter the women&#39;s singles semi finals.

Saina will next face-off against world champion and Thai fourth seed Ratchanok Intanon in the women&rsquo;s singles semi-finals on Saturday.

This is the third time that both the Indian players competed with each other on the international stage.

At the 2014 Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold, Saina defeated Sindhu, who returned the favour at the India Open Super Series last year.

London Games bronze medallist, Saina had, however, upstaged Sindhu to clinch the women&#39;s singles title in the Senior National Badminton Championship last year.

Saina beat PV Sindhu 21-13, 21-19 to enter the women's singles semi finals

India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal today beat badminton champion PV Sindhu to enter semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta. Saina beat PV Sindhu 21-13, 21-19 to enter the women's singles semi finals. Saina will next face-off against world champion and Thai fourth seed Ratchanok Intanon in the women’s singles semi-finals on Saturday. This is the third time that both the Indian players competed with each other on the international stage. At the 2014 Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold, Saina defeated Sindhu, who returned the favour at the India Open Super Series last year. London Games bronze medallist, Saina had, however, upstaged Sindhu to clinch the women's singles title in the Senior National Badminton Championship last year.

Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to enter Indonesia Masters semi-finals

Saina Nehwal made a perfect start to the new season, reaching the women&#39;s singles final of the USD 350,000 Indonesia Masters with a thrilling straight-game win over world no 4 Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand here today.

The former world no 1, who has won thrice in Indonesia, dished out a spirited performance to overcome a fighting Ratchanok 21-19 21-19 in the semifinal lasting 48 minutes.

Saina, who had a 8-5 head-to-head record against the 2013 World Champion Ratchanok, displayed tremendous fighting spirit as she erased a 6-10 deficit in the opening game and held on to the fort despite a late charge by the Thai shuttler in the second game.

Saina, who reached the final of an international competition after a year following her title triumph at Malaysia Masters last year, will play world no 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei or Chinese eighth seed He Bingjiao in the final tomorrow.

In the opening game, Ratchanok opened up a 3-1 lead early on. Saina slowly tried to claw back and produced an excellent return from the back of the court which kissed the sideline to make it 5-5. 
However, she erred in her serve and then committed a couple of errors to allow Ratchanok lead 8-5.

Saina won an exceptional rally next but Ratchanok produced a brilliant straight smash and a cross court drop to move to 10-7. A net dribble gone wrong gave another point to Saina but she went long next as Ratchanok entered the break with a three-point cushion.

Saina committed another service error but rode on her drop and body line returns to keep within touching distance at 11-13.

She soon drew parity after Ratchanok went wide and then grabbed a 14-13 lead when the Thai player went long.

Ratchanok again turned the tables but Saina clawed back immediately with another body smash after sending a series of returns on her rivals backhand in a rally that had 32 shots.

The Indonesian next won a video referral to move to 16- 15. Saina unleashed another down the line smash to again level scores but a half smash on Saina&#39;s backhand kept Ratchanok ahead.

Saina&#39;s return went long but she managed to stay at 18-18 after Ratchanok faltered at the net. The Indian sent a cross court return wide but Ratchanok also hit the net. The Thai player however went wide again to hand over one game point opportunity to Saina.

With another smash from Ratchanok going to the net meant Saina had grabbed the opening game.

In the second game, Saina came out with all cylinders blazing as she zoomed to a 6-1 lead. Ratchanok won a point with a cross court drop but Saina produced a towering smash and a precise return to make it 9-2.

Ratchanok then enjoyed a four-point burst to move to 6-10 but she hit the net next as eventually Saina entered the interval with a 11-8 lead after producing another down the line smash. 
Saina continued to dominate the proceedings even as a tired-looking Ratchanok committed too many errors to allow the Indian to lead 17-11 at one stage.

Just when it looked all was over, Ratchanok changed gears and reeled off six points to draw parity at 17-17. The drift in the hall seemed to have changed and it bothered Saina?s on-court decisions as she left two shots at the backline and found the net twice.

However, Ratchanok again went out to allow Saina make it 18-17. A tight net play by Saina and a judgement error by Thai at the back court handed the Indian two match points. 
Ratchanok saved one but Saina won an exciting rally next after her opponent went wide again.&nbsp;

Saina reached the women's singles final of the $350,000 Indonesia Masters with a thrilling straight-game win

Saina Nehwal made a perfect start to the new season, reaching the women's singles final of the USD 350,000 Indonesia Masters with a thrilling straight-game win over world no 4 Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand here today. The former world no 1, who has won thrice in Indonesia, dished out a spirited performance to overcome a fighting Ratchanok 21-19 21-19 in the semifinal lasting 48 minutes. Saina, who had a 8-5 head-to-head record against the 2013 World Champion Ratchanok, displayed tremendous fighting spirit as she erased a 6-10 deficit in the opening game and held on to the fort despite a late charge by the Thai shuttler in the second game. Saina, who reached the final of an international competition after a year following her title triumph at Malaysia Masters last year, will play world no 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei or Chinese eighth seed He Bingjiao in the final tomorrow. In the opening game, Ratchanok opened up a 3-1 lead early on. Saina slowly tried to claw back and produced an excellent return from the back of the court which kissed the sideline to make it 5-5. However, she erred in her serve and then committed a couple of errors to allow Ratchanok lead 8-5. Saina won an exceptional rally next but Ratchanok produced a brilliant straight smash and a cross court drop to move to 10-7. A net dribble gone wrong gave another point to Saina but she went long next as Ratchanok entered the break with a three-point cushion. Saina committed another service error but rode on her drop and body line returns to keep within touching distance at 11-13. She soon drew parity after Ratchanok went wide and then grabbed a 14-13 lead when the Thai player went long. Ratchanok again turned the tables but Saina clawed back immediately with another body smash after sending a series of returns on her rivals backhand in a rally that had 32 shots. The Indonesian next won a video referral to move to 16- 15. Saina unleashed another down the line smash to again level scores but a half smash on Saina's backhand kept Ratchanok ahead. Saina's return went long but she managed to stay at 18-18 after Ratchanok faltered at the net. The Indian sent a cross court return wide but Ratchanok also hit the net. The Thai player however went wide again to hand over one game point opportunity to Saina. With another smash from Ratchanok going to the net meant Saina had grabbed the opening game. In the second game, Saina came out with all cylinders blazing as she zoomed to a 6-1 lead. Ratchanok won a point with a cross court drop but Saina produced a towering smash and a precise return to make it 9-2. Ratchanok then enjoyed a four-point burst to move to 6-10 but she hit the net next as eventually Saina entered the interval with a 11-8 lead after producing another down the line smash. Saina continued to dominate the proceedings even as a tired-looking Ratchanok committed too many errors to allow the Indian to lead 17-11 at one stage. Just when it looked all was over, Ratchanok changed gears and reeled off six points to draw parity at 17-17. The drift in the hall seemed to have changed and it bothered Saina?s on-court decisions as she left two shots at the backline and found the net twice. However, Ratchanok again went out to allow Saina make it 18-17. A tight net play by Saina and a judgement error by Thai at the back court handed the Indian two match points. Ratchanok saved one but Saina won an exciting rally next after her opponent went wide again.

Sensational Saina Nehwal enters final of Indonesia Masters

The madness associated with viewers when ace shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal lock horns is nothing new. But little is known about their relationship off the court.

So when Sindhu was asked to throw some light on her relationship with Nehwal, she said they are friends but hi and bye types only.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re friends, like hi-bye&hellip; and that&rsquo;s it,&rdquo; Sindhu told a leading daily.

The Rio Olympics silver medallist also admitted that there was a rivalry between the two but clarified that it was not a big issue as people often mistook the aggression players showed during a match. &nbsp;

&ldquo;Rivalry is always there. When you play on court, everybody wants to win, both have the aggression to win. The rivalry is good in a way, everybody has that nowadays.&rdquo;

Sindhu and Saina are being trained under the same roof ever since the former made a surprise return to Gopichand&rsquo;s academy, but says that despite that they don&#39;t have time to talk.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We play together during practice but there&rsquo;s not much time to get interactive and talk to each other because we have our training sessions,&rdquo; said Sindhu.

Sindhu is currently involved in PBL with Chennai Smashers while Saina is part of Awadhe Warriors.

Rio Olympics silver medallist also admitted that there was a rivalry between the two

The madness associated with viewers when ace shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal lock horns is nothing new. But little is known about their relationship off the court. So when Sindhu was asked to throw some light on her relationship with Nehwal, she said they are friends but hi and bye types only. “We’re friends, like hi-bye… and that’s it,” Sindhu told a leading daily. The Rio Olympics silver medallist also admitted that there was a rivalry between the two but clarified that it was not a big issue as people often mistook the aggression players showed during a match. “Rivalry is always there. When you play on court, everybody wants to win, both have the aggression to win. The rivalry is good in a way, everybody has that nowadays.” Sindhu and Saina are being trained under the same roof ever since the former made a surprise return to Gopichand’s academy, but says that despite that they don't have time to talk. “We play together during practice but there’s not much time to get interactive and talk to each other because we have our training sessions,” said Sindhu. Sindhu is currently involved in PBL with Chennai Smashers while Saina is part of Awadhe Warriors.

PV?Sindhu on friendship with Saina Nehwal: We are hi and bye types friends

Saina Nehwal slammed Badminton world federation (BWF) for the&nbsp;international&nbsp;calendar of the badminton tournaments.

Saina Nehwal said that the way the calendar has been made it hardly leaves any time for players to be at their best performance.

In the BWF&#39;s revamped calendar it is mandatory for world&#39;s top 15 players in the singles events and top 10 pairs in the double to play a minimum of 12 tournaments or they will have to face a penalty. 
&nbsp;

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The scheduling of events is not done properly for next year. For the top players, it is going to be very challenging to choose tournament: Saina Nehwal <a href="https://t.co/G0kEcORDPB">pic.twitter.com/G0kEcORDPB</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944082913083080704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There are so many tournaments including the few prestigious ones. Some tournaments are also mandatory to play. It is going to be very challenging for the players to pick and choose the events: Saina Nehwal
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944082915520004096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Media reported Saina Nehwal as saying &quot;Next year&#39;s schedule by BWF is too cramped, it is not right for the top players. I need more time to get the best out of me. I can&#39;t play back-to-back events. I can just participate but can&#39;t win.&quot;

&quot;After the PBL we have three tournaments. Again before the World Championship, there are three super series, so I am not understanding why BWF decided to go for such a schedule. It will be too tiring, too challenging,&quot; Nehwal added.

Olympic champion and two-time world championship gold medalist Carolina Marin also said similar things

According to media reports, Marin also called new rule &quot;stupid.&quot;

&nbsp;

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In the BWF's revamped calendar it is mandatory for world's top 15 players in the singles events and top 10 pairs in the double to play a minimum of 12 tournaments or they will have to face a penalty

Saina Nehwal slammed Badminton world federation (BWF) for the international calendar of the badminton tournaments. Saina Nehwal said that the way the calendar has been made it hardly leaves any time for players to be at their best performance. In the BWF's revamped calendar it is mandatory for world's top 15 players in the singles events and top 10 pairs in the double to play a minimum of 12 tournaments or they will have to face a penalty. The scheduling of events is not done properly for next year. For the top players, it is going to be very challenging to choose tournament: Saina Nehwal pic.twitter.com/G0kEcORDPB — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × There are so many tournaments including the few prestigious ones. Some tournaments are also mandatory to play. It is going to be very challenging for the players to pick and choose the events: Saina Nehwal — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × Media reported Saina Nehwal as saying "Next year's schedule by BWF is too cramped, it is not right for the top players. I need more time to get the best out of me. I can't play back-to-back events. I can just participate but can't win." "After the PBL we have three tournaments. Again before the World Championship, there are three super series, so I am not understanding why BWF decided to go for such a schedule. It will be too tiring, too challenging," Nehwal added. Olympic champion and two-time world championship gold medalist Carolina Marin also said similar things According to media reports, Marin also called new rule "stupid."

Saina Nehwal upset over badminton federation event calendar

Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, the only Indian in the Hong Open Super Series, entered semis after beating Japan&#39;s Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-final match of the women&#39;s singles, on Friday.

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PV Sindhu beats Japan&rsquo;s Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 21-19 to enter Hong Kong Open badminton semis (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/79gwOu9GeD">pic.twitter.com/79gwOu9GeD</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/934018467442843648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Second-seeded Sindhu is the flag bearer of Indian challenge in the tournament, after a surprise crash out of Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy in second-round of the event on Thursday.

Sindhu marked her spot in the quarter-finals by coming strong over Aya Ohori of Japan and defeating the Asian junior champion 21-14, 21-17.

&nbsp;

Second-seeded Sindhu is the flag bearer of Indian challenge in the tournament, after a surprise crash out of Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy in second-round of the event on Thursday

Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, the only Indian in the Hong Open Super Series, entered semis after beating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-final match of the women's singles, on Friday. PV Sindhu beats Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 21-19 to enter Hong Kong Open badminton semis (File pic) pic.twitter.com/79gwOu9GeD — ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2017 × Second-seeded Sindhu is the flag bearer of Indian challenge in the tournament, after a surprise crash out of Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy in second-round of the event on Thursday. Sindhu marked her spot in the quarter-finals by coming strong over Aya Ohori of Japan and defeating the Asian junior champion 21-14, 21-17.

PV Sindhu cruises into Hong Open Super Series semi-finals

Olympians PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will aim to continue their winning streak at the Hong Kong Open Super Series as a step on the court to play the second round of women&#39;s singles event here at Kowloon on Thursday.

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu will clash with Aya Ohori of Japan in the second round of women&#39;s singles after defeating local player YY Leung 21-18, 21-10.

In another match, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal who outwitted Mette Poulsen of Denmark 21-19, 23-21 in the first round of the championship will take on Chen Yufei of China.

In men&#39;s singles, HS Prannoy, the recently crowned national champion, is the flag-bearer of the Indian challenge in the event. Prannoy will face Kuzumasa Kakai of Japan in the second round after he dismantled Yun Hu of Hong Kong 19-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the previous match.

Earlier, Parupalli Kashyap bowed out losing to local player Le Dong Keun 21-15, 9-21, 20-22.

B Sai Praneeth also suffered a major blow as he crashed out of the series after going down 21-8, 21-16 to second-seed Son Wan Ho of Korea.

PV Sindhu will clash with Aya Ohori of Japan in the second round of women's singles after defeating local player YY Leung 21-18, 21-10 whereas Saina Nehwal who outwitted Mette Poulsen of Denmark 21-19, 23-21 in the first round of the championship will take on Chen Yufei of China

Olympians PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will aim to continue their winning streak at the Hong Kong Open Super Series as a step on the court to play the second round of women's singles event here at Kowloon on Thursday. Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu will clash with Aya Ohori of Japan in the second round of women's singles after defeating local player YY Leung 21-18, 21-10. In another match, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal who outwitted Mette Poulsen of Denmark 21-19, 23-21 in the first round of the championship will take on Chen Yufei of China. In men's singles, HS Prannoy, the recently crowned national champion, is the flag-bearer of the Indian challenge in the event. Prannoy will face Kuzumasa Kakai of Japan in the second round after he dismantled Yun Hu of Hong Kong 19-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the previous match. Earlier, Parupalli Kashyap bowed out losing to local player Le Dong Keun 21-15, 9-21, 20-22. B Sai Praneeth also suffered a major blow as he crashed out of the series after going down 21-8, 21-16 to second-seed Son Wan Ho of Korea.

Hong Kong Open: Nehwal, Sindhu aim to continue winning streak

Second seed PV Sindhu sailed into the women&#39;s singles quarterfinals with a comfortable win while compatriot Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Hong Kong Open Superseries here today. 
 
PV Sindhu, who slipped a place to be number three in the world rankings released today, defeated Japan&#39;s Aya Ohori 21- 14, 21-17 in a second round match lasting 39 minutes. 
 
It was Sindhu&#39;s third win over the Japanese in as many meetings. The Indian faces another Japanese, fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi, in the quarterfinals tomorrow. 
 
Tenth-ranked Nehwal, however, ran out of steam to lose to China&#39;s Chen Yufei and eighth seed 21-18, 19-21, 10-21 in a second round match lasting an hour. The players met for the first time. 
 
It was also curtains for India in the men&#39;s singles after 10th-ranked HS Prannoy went down fighting to Japan&#39;s Kazumasa Sakai 21-11, 10-21, 15-21 in a 54-minute battle. The 23-ranked Japanese got the better of Prannoy for the third time in as many matches. 
 
Parupalli Kashyap and Sourabh Verma had lost in the opening round yesterday.

PV Sindhu defeated Japan's Aya Ohori 21- 14, 21-17

Second seed PV Sindhu sailed into the women's singles quarterfinals with a comfortable win while compatriot Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Hong Kong Open Superseries here today. PV Sindhu, who slipped a place to be number three in the world rankings released today, defeated Japan's Aya Ohori 21- 14, 21-17 in a second round match lasting 39 minutes. It was Sindhu's third win over the Japanese in as many meetings. The Indian faces another Japanese, fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi, in the quarterfinals tomorrow. Tenth-ranked Nehwal, however, ran out of steam to lose to China's Chen Yufei and eighth seed 21-18, 19-21, 10-21 in a second round match lasting an hour. The players met for the first time. It was also curtains for India in the men's singles after 10th-ranked HS Prannoy went down fighting to Japan's Kazumasa Sakai 21-11, 10-21, 15-21 in a 54-minute battle. The 23-ranked Japanese got the better of Prannoy for the third time in as many matches. Parupalli Kashyap and Sourabh Verma had lost in the opening round yesterday.

PV Sindhu sails into Hong Kong Open quarters, Saina Nehwal crashes out

Defending champion PV Sindhu sailed into the quarterfinals but newly-crowned National champions Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy crashed out of the China Open Super Series Premier, in Fuzhou on Thursday.

World No 2 Sindhu emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the event after she made quick work of China&#39;s Han Yue 21-15 21-13, an opponent ranked at 104 in BWF ranking, in a lop- sided 40-minute women&#39;s singles match.

Olympic silver medallist Sindhu will clash with another Chinese qualifier Gao Fangjie on Friday.

It turned out to be a dismal day for Saina and Prannoy, who had clinched the National championship titles at Nagpur earlier this month.

While Saina lost 18-21 11-21 against her Japanese nemesis and fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi in the women&#39;s singles second round, world no. 11 Prannoy was stunned by 53rd ranked Cheuk Yiu Lee of Hong Kong 21-19 21-17 in the men&#39;s singles event.

For Saina, the match against Yamaguchi was always expected to be a tricky one considering her inferior head-to- head record against the Japanese.

Before the start of today&#39;s match, Saina trailed Yamaguchi one to three in head-to-head record with their three previous results going in the Japanese favour and the trend continued.

Saina, thus, suffered her fourth defeat - three of them in last one month - against Yamaguchi this year.

The London Olympic bronze-medallist, who won the title here in 2014, got off to a good start, taking a slender 11-9 lead but Yamaguchi fought back to pocket the first game 21-18.

Down by a game, Saina&#39;s game started to deteriorate. She lacked momentum in the second game and never looked in the mental frame to make a comeback, even as Yamaguchi comfortably took control of the proceedings.

The Japanese never looked in trouble after taking the first game and did not fall behind for a single moment in the second as she sealed the match with consummate ease in just 37 minutes.

Later in the day, world no 11 Prannoy went down fighting to less-fancied Lee in a second round clash that lasted 42 minutes.

The encounter started with both Prannoy and Lee exchanging quick early points before the Hong Kong shuttler raced to a two-point lead.

Prannoy tried to stage a comeback but Lee took an 11-9 lead at the interval.

After the break, Prannoy tried hard to shift the momentum but never really managed to achieve that as Lee took the first game 21-19.

Prannoy played his heart out and took a slender one-point lead (11-10) at the break in the second game.

But after the break, exhaustion seemed to have caught up Prannoy as the Indian struggled, enabling Lee to make a comeback and finally wrap up the contest 21-17.

World No 2 Sindhu emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the event after she made quick work of China's Han Yue 21-15 21-13, an opponent ranked at 104 in BWF ranking, in a lop- sided 40-minute women's singles match.

Defending champion PV Sindhu sailed into the quarterfinals but newly-crowned National champions Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy crashed out of the China Open Super Series Premier, in Fuzhou on Thursday. World No 2 Sindhu emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the event after she made quick work of China's Han Yue 21-15 21-13, an opponent ranked at 104 in BWF ranking, in a lop- sided 40-minute women's singles match. Olympic silver medallist Sindhu will clash with another Chinese qualifier Gao Fangjie on Friday. It turned out to be a dismal day for Saina and Prannoy, who had clinched the National championship titles at Nagpur earlier this month. While Saina lost 18-21 11-21 against her Japanese nemesis and fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles second round, world no. 11 Prannoy was stunned by 53rd ranked Cheuk Yiu Lee of Hong Kong 21-19 21-17 in the men's singles event. For Saina, the match against Yamaguchi was always expected to be a tricky one considering her inferior head-to- head record against the Japanese. Before the start of today's match, Saina trailed Yamaguchi one to three in head-to-head record with their three previous results going in the Japanese favour and the trend continued. Saina, thus, suffered her fourth defeat - three of them in last one month - against Yamaguchi this year. The London Olympic bronze-medallist, who won the title here in 2014, got off to a good start, taking a slender 11-9 lead but Yamaguchi fought back to pocket the first game 21-18. Down by a game, Saina's game started to deteriorate. She lacked momentum in the second game and never looked in the mental frame to make a comeback, even as Yamaguchi comfortably took control of the proceedings. The Japanese never looked in trouble after taking the first game and did not fall behind for a single moment in the second as she sealed the match with consummate ease in just 37 minutes. Later in the day, world no 11 Prannoy went down fighting to less-fancied Lee in a second round clash that lasted 42 minutes. The encounter started with both Prannoy and Lee exchanging quick early points before the Hong Kong shuttler raced to a two-point lead. Prannoy tried to stage a comeback but Lee took an 11-9 lead at the interval. After the break, Prannoy tried hard to shift the momentum but never really managed to achieve that as Lee took the first game 21-19. Prannoy played his heart out and took a slender one-point lead (11-10) at the break in the second game. But after the break, exhaustion seemed to have caught up Prannoy as the Indian struggled, enabling Lee to make a comeback and finally wrap up the contest 21-17.

China Open: PV Sindhu enter quarters; Saina, Prannoy crash out

Seasoned shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa is impressed with the progress made by India&#39;s doubles players on the Pro circuit but says they will take some time to develop into world beaters.

Of late, doubles players have produced some good results with new pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Sen entering the quarterfinals in Super Series tournaments in Korea and France and mixed combo of Pranaav Chopra and N Sikki Reddy reaching the semifinals at Japan Open.

&quot;I think doubles is on the right track. But it will take time. Doubles takes time,&quot; said Ashwini, who won two titles at the just-concluded Senior National Championship.

&quot;Doubles have to train together, have to see how two players combine, while as a single player doesn&#39;t have to go through so much change. But doubles are on right track, Chirag and Satwik are doing well, Pranaav and Sikki doing well. It gives confidence and motivates all the players,&quot; she added.

It was double delight for Ashwini yesterday as she won the mixed doubles title with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and women&#39;s doubles trophy with N Sikki Reddy.

&quot;It feels good (to win). For a long time not all the top players were playing. This time we had all playing, so it was one of a kind Nationals. For me, it was special because I had never won a mixed doubles title before,&quot; Ashwini said.

&quot;I won women&#39;s doubles with Jwala (Gutta) in the past but I never had a mixed doubles partner, so it was a first for me and it really felt good especially because Sikki and Pranaav are more experienced than we are right now.

&quot;They are in good shape, they had some good results in last one year, so it was a confidence booster. It was a National which everyone wanted to win since all top players were there and it was nicely hosted,&quot; added Ashwini, who had bagged the women&#39;s title twice with Jwala in 2009 and 2013.

The 28-year-old from Bangalore is one of the most experienced doubles players in the country. She had won the 2011 World Championship bronze with Jwala and also bagged the Commonwealth Games gold and silver in the last two editions at New Delhi and Glasgow.

Ashwini is hoping to be third time lucky but reckoned it will be a challenge.

&quot;I definitely want to go and win a medal again next year at the Commonwealth Games. I think it will be a big challenge for everyone because all will be coming to win,&quot; she said.

&quot;Every tournament we play from now will be a practice to work on our game and get some good results before the Commonwealth Games. I hope our performance will be better than the past,&quot; Ashwini, who had earlier paired up with B Sumeeth Reddy and reached the finals at Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in January, said.

Commonwealth Games will be held in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to 15 next year.&nbsp;

Seasoned shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa is impressed with the progress made by India's doubles players on the Pro circuit but says they will take some time to develop into world beaters.

Seasoned shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa is impressed with the progress made by India's doubles players on the Pro circuit but says they will take some time to develop into world beaters. Of late, doubles players have produced some good results with new pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Sen entering the quarterfinals in Super Series tournaments in Korea and France and mixed combo of Pranaav Chopra and N Sikki Reddy reaching the semifinals at Japan Open. "I think doubles is on the right track. But it will take time. Doubles takes time," said Ashwini, who won two titles at the just-concluded Senior National Championship. "Doubles have to train together, have to see how two players combine, while as a single player doesn't have to go through so much change. But doubles are on right track, Chirag and Satwik are doing well, Pranaav and Sikki doing well. It gives confidence and motivates all the players," she added. It was double delight for Ashwini yesterday as she won the mixed doubles title with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and women's doubles trophy with N Sikki Reddy. "It feels good (to win). For a long time not all the top players were playing. This time we had all playing, so it was one of a kind Nationals. For me, it was special because I had never won a mixed doubles title before," Ashwini said. "I won women's doubles with Jwala (Gutta) in the past but I never had a mixed doubles partner, so it was a first for me and it really felt good especially because Sikki and Pranaav are more experienced than we are right now. "They are in good shape, they had some good results in last one year, so it was a confidence booster. It was a National which everyone wanted to win since all top players were there and it was nicely hosted," added Ashwini, who had bagged the women's title twice with Jwala in 2009 and 2013. The 28-year-old from Bangalore is one of the most experienced doubles players in the country. She had won the 2011 World Championship bronze with Jwala and also bagged the Commonwealth Games gold and silver in the last two editions at New Delhi and Glasgow. Ashwini is hoping to be third time lucky but reckoned it will be a challenge. "I definitely want to go and win a medal again next year at the Commonwealth Games. I think it will be a big challenge for everyone because all will be coming to win," she said. "Every tournament we play from now will be a practice to work on our game and get some good results before the Commonwealth Games. I hope our performance will be better than the past," Ashwini, who had earlier paired up with B Sumeeth Reddy and reached the finals at Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in January, said. Commonwealth Games will be held in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to 15 next year.

Badminton: Doubles players will take time to become world beaters, says Ashwini Ponnappa

Former World No-1 Saina Nehwal beat Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu to win the Badminton National Championship on Wednesday.

27-year-old Saina beat Sindhu in straight games 21-17 27-25 in a thrilling 54-minute duel.

&quot;I am surprised with the way I played today. I moved well and picked Sindhu&#39;s difficult shots,&quot; Saina said after beating Sindhu.

In the men&#39;s final, HS Prannoy surprised everyone after he beat Kidambi Srikanth 21-15, 16-21, 21-7 in a gruelling encounter.

27-year-old Saina beat Sindhu in straight games 21-17 27-25 in a thrilling 54-minute duel.

Former World No-1 Saina Nehwal beat Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu to win the Badminton National Championship on Wednesday. 27-year-old Saina beat Sindhu in straight games 21-17 27-25 in a thrilling 54-minute duel. "I am surprised with the way I played today. I moved well and picked Sindhu's difficult shots," Saina said after beating Sindhu. In the men's final, HS Prannoy surprised everyone after he beat Kidambi Srikanth 21-15, 16-21, 21-7 in a gruelling encounter.

Saina beats Sindhu to clinch national championships

India&#39;s HS Prannoy has bowed out of the ongoing Japan Open Superseries.&nbsp;

He lost 15-21, 14-21 to China&#39;s Shi Yuqi.&nbsp;

The match lasted 45 minutes.

PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal were also knocked out of the tournament on Thursday.&nbsp;

Sindhu lost &nbsp;18-21, 8-21 to Japan&#39;s Nozomi Okuhara in the second round.

While Saina Nehwal 16-21, 13-21 to Spain&#39;s Carolina Marin.

Eighth seed Kidambi Srikanth will face third seed and World champion Viktor Axelsen later on Friday. 
&nbsp;

India's HS Prannoy has bowed out of the ongoing Japan Open Superseries. He lost 15-21, 14-21 to China's Shi Yuqi. The match lasted 45 minutes. PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal were also knocked out of the tournament on Thursday. Sindhu lost 18-21, 8-21 to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the second round. While Saina Nehwal 16-21, 13-21 to Spain's Carolina Marin. Eighth seed Kidambi Srikanth will face third seed and World champion Viktor Axelsen later on Friday.

Japan Open: India's HS Prannoy loses to China's Shi Yuqi

Saina Nehwal is returning to the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.

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Have trained her since sub junior days,she wants to come back to the academy, and we will help her get even better- P Gopichand <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sainanehwal?src=hash">#sainanehwal</a> <a href="https://t.co/5TbOFpGmrc">pic.twitter.com/5TbOFpGmrc</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/904723599881154560">September 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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She announced her plans on Twitter.

&ldquo;For a while, I&rsquo;ve been thinking about moving my training base back to the Gopichand Academy and I had a discussion about this with Gopi sir,&quot; she wrote.

&quot;... and I am really thankful to him for agreeing to help me again. At this stage in my career, I think he can help me achieve my goals,&rdquo; she added. &nbsp;

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For a while I&#39;ve been thinking about moving my training base back to the Gopichand academy and I had a discussion about this with Gopi sir
&mdash; Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/904636420429496320">September 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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and I am really thankful to him for agreeing to help me again . At this stage in my career I think he can help me achieve my goals .
&mdash; Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/904636700869107712">September 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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She also thanked Vimal Kumar, her coach for the last three years.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m also very thankful to Vimal sir for helping me for the last three years. He helped (me) reach world no.1 in the rankings,&quot; she said.

&quot;And also helped me win two world championships medal silver in 2015 and bronze in 2017 along with many super series titles. I m very happy to b back home and train in Hyderabad, keep supporting friends,&rdquo; she added

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I&#39;m also very thankful to Vimal sir for helping me for the last three years. He helped reach world no.1 in the rankings ..
&mdash; Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/904637078796812288">September 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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And also helped me win two world championships medal silver in 2015 and bronze in 2017 along with many super series titles ..
&mdash; Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/904637447765614592">September 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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At the Gopichand academy, Saina will be working with the SAI-appointed Indonesian coach&nbsp;Mulyo Handoyo.&nbsp;

Saina had left Gopichand in 2014 in less-than-happy circumstances.

She had wanted more attention from Gopichand, who at the time had had to divide his time between her and the upcoming PV Sindhu.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

She had left him in less-than-happy circumstances in 2014

Saina Nehwal is returning to the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. Have trained her since sub junior days,she wants to come back to the academy, and we will help her get even better- P Gopichand #sainanehwal pic.twitter.com/5TbOFpGmrc — ANI (@ANI) September 4, 2017 × She announced her plans on Twitter. “For a while, I’ve been thinking about moving my training base back to the Gopichand Academy and I had a discussion about this with Gopi sir," she wrote. "... and I am really thankful to him for agreeing to help me again. At this stage in my career, I think he can help me achieve my goals,” she added. For a while I've been thinking about moving my training base back to the Gopichand academy and I had a discussion about this with Gopi sir — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) September 4, 2017 × and I am really thankful to him for agreeing to help me again . At this stage in my career I think he can help me achieve my goals . — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) September 4, 2017 × She also thanked Vimal Kumar, her coach for the last three years. “I’m also very thankful to Vimal sir for helping me for the last three years. He helped (me) reach world no.1 in the rankings," she said. "And also helped me win two world championships medal silver in 2015 and bronze in 2017 along with many super series titles. I m very happy to b back home and train in Hyderabad, keep supporting friends,” she added I'm also very thankful to Vimal sir for helping me for the last three years. He helped reach world no.1 in the rankings .. — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) September 4, 2017 × And also helped me win two world championships medal silver in 2015 and bronze in 2017 along with many super series titles .. — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) September 4, 2017 × At the Gopichand academy, Saina will be working with the SAI-appointed Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo. Saina had left Gopichand in 2014 in less-than-happy circumstances. She had wanted more attention from Gopichand, who at the time had had to divide his time between her and the upcoming PV Sindhu.

Saina Nehwal to move back to Pullela Gopichand academy

India`s Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, and Kidambi Srikanth reached the quarter-finals, while B. Sai Praneeth, Ajay Jayaram and the mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Badminton Championships here on Thursday. 
 
Sindhu, a double World Championships bronze medallist, earned a hard-fought win over Hong Kong 13th seed Cheung Ngan Yi 19-21, 23-21, 21-17 in an hour and 27 minutes. 
 
In the next round, Sindhu will face Chinese fifth seed Sun Yu, who got past Spanish 15th seed Beatriz Corrales 21-16, 21-19. 
 
Saina, seeded 12th, registered a morale-boosting 21-19, 21-15 win over South Korean second seed Sung ji Hyun. 
 
Meanwhile, Chinese teenager Chen Yufei stunned Japanese top seed Akane Yamaguchi 21-18, 21-19. 
 
In the men`s singles, eighth seed Srikanth registered a 21-14, 21-18 win over Danish 14th seed Anders Antonsen. 
 
The next opponent for Srikanth will be South Korean top seed Son Wan Ho, who edged past Thai 11th seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-18, 21-13. 
 
Chinese fifth seed and defending champions Chen Long crushed Indian 13th seed Jayaram 21-11, 21-10 to book his place in the quarter-finals. 
 
Praneeth, 15th seed, lost to Chinese Taipei sixth seed Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 10-21, 12-21 in an hour and one minute. 
 
Five-time world champion and Chinese seventh seed Lin Dan fought back from one game down to defeat England`s Rajiv Ouseph 14-21, 21-17, 21-16. 
 
Pranaav and Sikki, the 15th seeds, battled hard as they came close to upsetting the Indonesian seventh seeds Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto but the latter prevailed 20-22, 21-18, 21-18. 
 
With the loss of Pranaav and Sikki, India`s doubles campaign in the tournament came to an end.

The next opponent for Srikanth will be South Korean top seed Son Wan Ho, who edged past Thai 11th seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-18, 21-13

India`s Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, and Kidambi Srikanth reached the quarter-finals, while B. Sai Praneeth, Ajay Jayaram and the mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Badminton Championships here on Thursday. Sindhu, a double World Championships bronze medallist, earned a hard-fought win over Hong Kong 13th seed Cheung Ngan Yi 19-21, 23-21, 21-17 in an hour and 27 minutes. In the next round, Sindhu will face Chinese fifth seed Sun Yu, who got past Spanish 15th seed Beatriz Corrales 21-16, 21-19. Saina, seeded 12th, registered a morale-boosting 21-19, 21-15 win over South Korean second seed Sung ji Hyun. Meanwhile, Chinese teenager Chen Yufei stunned Japanese top seed Akane Yamaguchi 21-18, 21-19. In the men`s singles, eighth seed Srikanth registered a 21-14, 21-18 win over Danish 14th seed Anders Antonsen. The next opponent for Srikanth will be South Korean top seed Son Wan Ho, who edged past Thai 11th seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-18, 21-13. Chinese fifth seed and defending champions Chen Long crushed Indian 13th seed Jayaram 21-11, 21-10 to book his place in the quarter-finals. Praneeth, 15th seed, lost to Chinese Taipei sixth seed Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 10-21, 12-21 in an hour and one minute. Five-time world champion and Chinese seventh seed Lin Dan fought back from one game down to defeat England`s Rajiv Ouseph 14-21, 21-17, 21-16. Pranaav and Sikki, the 15th seeds, battled hard as they came close to upsetting the Indonesian seventh seeds Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto but the latter prevailed 20-22, 21-18, 21-18. With the loss of Pranaav and Sikki, India`s doubles campaign in the tournament came to an end.

Sindhu, Saina, Srikanth enter quarters of World Badminton Championship

Saina Nehwal led the charge as Indian juggernaut continued to roll at the World Badminton Championship with Kidambi Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth entering the pre- quarterfinals of singles events, on Wednesday.

After Saina brushed aside the challenge of Sabrina Jaquet in straight games and Praneeth survived a scare from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Srikanth steamrolled France&#39;s Lucas Corvee to keep India in the hunt for a medal.

In women&#39;s doubles second round matches, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy went down fighting against the second seed Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark 22-24, 21-17, 15-21. The other Indian pair Sanjana Santosh and Arathi Sara Sunil suffered straight games defeat 14-21, 15-21 at the hands of Bao Yixin and Yu Xiaohan of China.

Sameer Verma&#39;s campaign ended with a second round 20-22, 9-21 defeat against England&#39;s Rajiv Ouseph whereas Ajay Jayaram got the better of Mark Caljouw of Netherlands 21-13, 21-18 to enter pre-quarterfinals. 
London Olympics bronze medalist Saina hardly broke a sweat as she cruised past her Swiss rival 21-11, 21-12 in just 33 minutes.

&quot;It was a tricky match I felt. Sabrina is a formidable opponent but I am happy that I overpowered her nicely in the match,&quot; 12th seed Saina said after the match.

&quot;I think it is always tough to play first round but once you get used to the conditions, it gets better and better.&quot;

Saina will next take on second seed Sung Ji Hyun, who defeated India&#39;s Tanvi Lad 21-9, 21-19. The 2010 Commonwealth Games champion has a 7-2 head-to-head record against the Korean and most recently she beat her at the Australian Open in June.

World No 8 Srikanth also dished out a clinical performance, beating Lucas 21-9, 21-17 to set up a clash with 14th seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark on Thursday.

Earlier, Singapore Open champion B Sai Praneeth bounced back from a game down to outwit World No 26 Indonesian Anthony 14-21, 21-18, 21-19 that lasted an hour and 12 minutes.

&quot;It was a very tough match. The shuttles were really slow and so the rallies went longer. I was getting caught initially and he was playing very fast. I could not match him initially but slowly adjusted to his speed. He is a tough player and his game has improved a lot since I last played him.

&quot;I am really happy to win and now I am focused on my next match,&quot; added the World No. 19 Praneeth will take on either Germany&#39;s Marc Zwiebler or Chinese Taipei&#39;s Chou Tien Chen tomorrow.

A silver medalist at Jakarta edition in 2015, Saina, who received a bye in the opening round, stamped her authority right from the start as she zoomed to a 4-0 lead before making it 11-6.

The Swiss tried her bit and came as close as 9-13 before Saina reeled off five straight points and eventually wrapped the opening game in 14 minutes.

In the second game, Saina once again opened up a 5-2 lead and had a 11-7 advantage at the interval. The Indian did not take the foot off the pedal and dished out a series of body smashes to surge to victory.

On the adjacent court, Praneeth was facing the fire of Anthony, who cruised to a 8-0 lead and then jumped to a 16-6 advantage. The gap was too much for Praneeth to bridge as he lost the first game.

The Indian got his bearing back and put up a better effort in the second game, reaching a 7-4 and 11-9 advantage at the break.

Leading 14-12, Praneeth had to take a medical timeout and when the game resumed, Anthony managed to grab a slender 16-15 lead but the Indian did not let the opportunity slip as he soon turned the tables on his rival to roar back into contest.

In the decider, Praneeth opened up a 6-2 lead but Anthony managed to grab a 11-9 lead at the breather. After the interval, Anthony managed to surge to a 18-12 advantage.

But a gritty Praneeth erased a six-point deficit to grab two match point advantage at 20-18. Anthony saved one but the Indian sealed it next to reach the next round.

Srikanth, on the other hand, didn&#39;t have much issue getting past Lucas.

The 24-year-old from Guntur split the initial 10 points with Lucas, before changing gears to hold a 11-6 lead. The Indian used his prcise smashes to good use to accumulate points, moving to a 19-9 advantage.

He moved to game point when Lucas faltered with a return at forecourt. The French shuttler then attempted a drop which found the net as Srikanth won the first game in 12 minutes.

Srikanth brought more power to his smashes and precision to his returns to once again surge to 11-7 lead in the second game. Lucas erased the deficit and clawed back at 15-15 but the Indian soon moved ahead and sealed the issue when his rival went wide.

&nbsp;

After Saina brushed aside the challenge of Sabrina Jaquet in straight games and Praneeth survived a scare from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Srikanth steamrolled France's Lucas Corvee to keep India in the hunt for a medal

Saina Nehwal led the charge as Indian juggernaut continued to roll at the World Badminton Championship with Kidambi Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth entering the pre- quarterfinals of singles events, on Wednesday. After Saina brushed aside the challenge of Sabrina Jaquet in straight games and Praneeth survived a scare from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Srikanth steamrolled France's Lucas Corvee to keep India in the hunt for a medal. In women's doubles second round matches, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy went down fighting against the second seed Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark 22-24, 21-17, 15-21. The other Indian pair Sanjana Santosh and Arathi Sara Sunil suffered straight games defeat 14-21, 15-21 at the hands of Bao Yixin and Yu Xiaohan of China. Sameer Verma's campaign ended with a second round 20-22, 9-21 defeat against England's Rajiv Ouseph whereas Ajay Jayaram got the better of Mark Caljouw of Netherlands 21-13, 21-18 to enter pre-quarterfinals. London Olympics bronze medalist Saina hardly broke a sweat as she cruised past her Swiss rival 21-11, 21-12 in just 33 minutes. "It was a tricky match I felt. Sabrina is a formidable opponent but I am happy that I overpowered her nicely in the match," 12th seed Saina said after the match. "I think it is always tough to play first round but once you get used to the conditions, it gets better and better." Saina will next take on second seed Sung Ji Hyun, who defeated India's Tanvi Lad 21-9, 21-19. The 2010 Commonwealth Games champion has a 7-2 head-to-head record against the Korean and most recently she beat her at the Australian Open in June. World No 8 Srikanth also dished out a clinical performance, beating Lucas 21-9, 21-17 to set up a clash with 14th seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark on Thursday. Earlier, Singapore Open champion B Sai Praneeth bounced back from a game down to outwit World No 26 Indonesian Anthony 14-21, 21-18, 21-19 that lasted an hour and 12 minutes. "It was a very tough match. The shuttles were really slow and so the rallies went longer. I was getting caught initially and he was playing very fast. I could not match him initially but slowly adjusted to his speed. He is a tough player and his game has improved a lot since I last played him. "I am really happy to win and now I am focused on my next match," added the World No. 19 Praneeth will take on either Germany's Marc Zwiebler or Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen tomorrow. A silver medalist at Jakarta edition in 2015, Saina, who received a bye in the opening round, stamped her authority right from the start as she zoomed to a 4-0 lead before making it 11-6. The Swiss tried her bit and came as close as 9-13 before Saina reeled off five straight points and eventually wrapped the opening game in 14 minutes. In the second game, Saina once again opened up a 5-2 lead and had a 11-7 advantage at the interval. The Indian did not take the foot off the pedal and dished out a series of body smashes to surge to victory. On the adjacent court, Praneeth was facing the fire of Anthony, who cruised to a 8-0 lead and then jumped to a 16-6 advantage. The gap was too much for Praneeth to bridge as he lost the first game. The Indian got his bearing back and put up a better effort in the second game, reaching a 7-4 and 11-9 advantage at the break. Leading 14-12, Praneeth had to take a medical timeout and when the game resumed, Anthony managed to grab a slender 16-15 lead but the Indian did not let the opportunity slip as he soon turned the tables on his rival to roar back into contest. In the decider, Praneeth opened up a 6-2 lead but Anthony managed to grab a 11-9 lead at the breather. After the interval, Anthony managed to surge to a 18-12 advantage. But a gritty Praneeth erased a six-point deficit to grab two match point advantage at 20-18. Anthony saved one but the Indian sealed it next to reach the next round. Srikanth, on the other hand, didn't have much issue getting past Lucas. The 24-year-old from Guntur split the initial 10 points with Lucas, before changing gears to hold a 11-6 lead. The Indian used his prcise smashes to good use to accumulate points, moving to a 19-9 advantage. He moved to game point when Lucas faltered with a return at forecourt. The French shuttler then attempted a drop which found the net as Srikanth won the first game in 12 minutes. Srikanth brought more power to his smashes and precision to his returns to once again surge to 11-7 lead in the second game. Lucas erased the deficit and clawed back at 15-15 but the Indian soon moved ahead and sealed the issue when his rival went wide.

World Badminton Championship: Saina Nehwal, Sai Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth enter pre-quarters

Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth produced a rich vein of form as he bounced back from a game down against reigning world number one&nbsp;Son Wan Ho to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Super Series in Sydney on Thursday.

After losing the first game, the 24-year-old Indian rebounded strongly to clinch a 15-21, 21-13, 21-13 win over Wan Ho in a gruelling second-round clash that lasted almost an hour.

Srikanth, who entered the tournament on the back of his maiden Indonesia Super Series Premier title, has defeated Wan Ho for the second time in two weeks.

The Indian shuttler had beaten the South Korean ace in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open last week. Srikanth has now set up a last-eight clash against his fellow countryman B&nbsp;Sai Praneeth.

Praneeth cemented his place in the quarter-finals of the tournament after brushing aside China&#39;s Huang Yuxiang 21-15, 18-21, 21-13 in his men&#39;s singles clash that lasted one hour and five minutes.

Meanwhile, Rio Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu and ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will also look to storm into the last eight when they play their respective women&#39;s singles second rounds later today.&nbsp;

(ANI)

Kidambi Srikanth beat the world's top-ranked player Son Wan to mark his place in the quarter finals

Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth produced a rich vein of form as he bounced back from a game down against reigning world number one Son Wan Ho to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Super Series in Sydney on Thursday. After losing the first game, the 24-year-old Indian rebounded strongly to clinch a 15-21, 21-13, 21-13 win over Wan Ho in a gruelling second-round clash that lasted almost an hour. Srikanth, who entered the tournament on the back of his maiden Indonesia Super Series Premier title, has defeated Wan Ho for the second time in two weeks. The Indian shuttler had beaten the South Korean ace in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open last week. Srikanth has now set up a last-eight clash against his fellow countryman B Sai Praneeth. Praneeth cemented his place in the quarter-finals of the tournament after brushing aside China's Huang Yuxiang 21-15, 18-21, 21-13 in his men's singles clash that lasted one hour and five minutes. Meanwhile, Rio Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu and ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will also look to storm into the last eight when they play their respective women's singles second rounds later today. (ANI)

Badminton: Srikanth, Praneeth enter Australia Open quarter-finals

There will be a biopic on Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal where actor Shraddha Kapoor plays the sports star.

The film will capture the story of Saina&#39;s rise to become India&#39;s first winner of an Olympic badminton medal. She won a bronze medal in London.&nbsp;

According to Firstpost, Saina had said, &ldquo;It&#39;s a good thing; youngsters get to see their favourite player&#39;s life.&quot;

She had also said that Deepika Padukone would be her preference to play her on reel.&nbsp;

When the film was announced earlier in 2016, there were talks of Deepika Padukone being the right choice for the female lead&rsquo;s role.&nbsp;

Deepika Padukone is the daughter of Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone who also plays the sport. Deepika and Saina go a long way as they have even played together.&nbsp;

Saina added, &quot;Her father has been a badminton player and I have seen her playing badminton. She used to play really well. She can do justice to the role and I really wish she can do the role.&rdquo;

But breaking all speculations around casting, several news reports earlier today, confirmed that Shraddha Kapoor will be playing Saina&rsquo;s role in the biopic.&nbsp;

Shraddha took to Twitter to express her happiness:

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SAINA NEHWAL - The former World no 1 badminton player. An Indian girl. An inspiration to millions. A youth icon in the truest sense. <a href="https://twitter.com/NSaina">@NSaina</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZvXfAp7X7J">pic.twitter.com/ZvXfAp7X7J</a>
&mdash; Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShraddhaKapoor/status/857104453274566656">April 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Her journey to the top has been fascinating &amp; I am honored to be given this opportunity to play her in my next film &#39;SAINA&#39;.
&mdash; Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShraddhaKapoor/status/857104549781360640">April 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The preparation for this film is going to be very, very challenging. It&#39;s probably going to be my most difficult film till date.
&mdash; Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShraddhaKapoor/status/857104662360707072">April 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Wish me luck everyone ??
&mdash; Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShraddhaKapoor/status/857104703171284992">April 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&#39;SAINA&#39; is going to be directed by Amole Gupte &amp; produced by T series ??
&mdash; Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShraddhaKapoor/status/857106392657924097">April 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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In an interview, Shradhha said, &quot;Most girls have played badminton at some point in their lives in school. I feel so lucky to be playing Saina, who has not just been the world&#39;s no. 1 badminton player, but is also a youth icon. I can&#39;t wait to start prepping for my role.&rdquo;

Saina in response to this was quoted, according to Firstpost:&nbsp;

&quot;Shraddha is a very talented actress and very hardworking. I am sure she will do justice to the role. The best part is, she is a good friend as well. So it will be easier to teach her some badminton skills!. A lot of people did tell me that we do look similar and I think that&#39;s a huge compliment, because Shraddha is very good looking.&quot;

Amole Gupte has said that the Saina biopic will be very different from previous films in the category simply because of its central figure.

Director Amole Gupte calls the biopic as that would trace &quot;Saina&#39;s pulsating journey to the top of the sports pyramid&quot; in a statement. The Saina Nehwal biopic is slated for a 2018 release.

(WION)

There were talks of Deepika Padukone playing the part till early last year

There will be a biopic on Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal where actor Shraddha Kapoor plays the sports star. The film will capture the story of Saina's rise to become India's first winner of an Olympic badminton medal. She won a bronze medal in London. According to Firstpost, Saina had said, “It's a good thing; youngsters get to see their favourite player's life." She had also said that Deepika Padukone would be her preference to play her on reel. When the film was announced earlier in 2016, there were talks of Deepika Padukone being the right choice for the female lead’s role. Deepika Padukone is the daughter of Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone who also plays the sport. Deepika and Saina go a long way as they have even played together. Saina added, "Her father has been a badminton player and I have seen her playing badminton. She used to play really well. She can do justice to the role and I really wish she can do the role.” But breaking all speculations around casting, several news reports earlier today, confirmed that Shraddha Kapoor will be playing Saina’s role in the biopic. Shraddha took to Twitter to express her happiness: SAINA NEHWAL - The former World no 1 badminton player. An Indian girl. An inspiration to millions. A youth icon in the truest sense. @NSaina pic.twitter.com/ZvXfAp7X7J — Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) April 26, 2017 × Her journey to the top has been fascinating & I am honored to be given this opportunity to play her in my next film 'SAINA'. — Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) April 26, 2017 × The preparation for this film is going to be very, very challenging. It's probably going to be my most difficult film till date. — Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) April 26, 2017 × Wish me luck everyone ?? — Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) April 26, 2017 × 'SAINA' is going to be directed by Amole Gupte & produced by T series ?? — Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) April 26, 2017 × In an interview, Shradhha said, "Most girls have played badminton at some point in their lives in school. I feel so lucky to be playing Saina, who has not just been the world's no. 1 badminton player, but is also a youth icon. I can't wait to start prepping for my role.” Saina in response to this was quoted, according to Firstpost: "Shraddha is a very talented actress and very hardworking. I am sure she will do justice to the role. The best part is, she is a good friend as well. So it will be easier to teach her some badminton skills!. A lot of people did tell me that we do look similar and I think that's a huge compliment, because Shraddha is very good looking." Amole Gupte has said that the Saina biopic will be very different from previous films in the category simply because of its central figure. Director Amole Gupte calls the biopic as that would trace "Saina's pulsating journey to the top of the sports pyramid" in a statement. The Saina Nehwal biopic is slated for a 2018 release. (WION)

Indian actor Shraddha Kapoor to play badminton ace Saina Nehwal in biopic

Rio-Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu kicked off her Asian badminton Championship on a winning note as she thrashed Dinar Dyah Ayustine of Indonesia in straight games to storm into the second round of the women&#39;s singles event here on Wednesday.

The fourth-seed produced a rich vein of form to register a comfortable 21-8, 21-18 win over Ayustine in a one-sided opening round clash that lasted about half an hour.

Sindhu will now take on either Japan&#39;s Aya Ohori or Philippines&#39; Sarah Joy Barredo for a place in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal&#39;s poor run of form continued as she slumped to a 21-19, 16-21, 18-21 defeat at the hands of Japan&#39;s Sayaka Sato in the opening round that lasted little over an hour.

Saina, who recently made a first-round exit at the Malaysia Open, underwent knee surgery after the 2016 Rio Olympics and since recovering the Hyderabad girl has been struggling to return to her menacing best.&nbsp;

In men&#39;s singles, India&#39;s Ajay Jayaram also advanced to the second round after posting a 21-18, 18-21, 21-19 win over fifth-seeded Tian Houwei of China.

Meanwhile, Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy suffered a major blow as they bowed out of the tournament after suffering a 20-22, 16-21 defeat to the South Korea duo of Chae Yoo Jung and Kim So Yeong.

(ANI)&nbsp;

PV Sindhu produced a rich vein of form to register a comfortable 21-8, 21-18 win over Dinar Dyah Ayustine

Rio-Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu kicked off her Asian badminton Championship on a winning note as she thrashed Dinar Dyah Ayustine of Indonesia in straight games to storm into the second round of the women's singles event here on Wednesday. The fourth-seed produced a rich vein of form to register a comfortable 21-8, 21-18 win over Ayustine in a one-sided opening round clash that lasted about half an hour. Sindhu will now take on either Japan's Aya Ohori or Philippines' Sarah Joy Barredo for a place in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal's poor run of form continued as she slumped to a 21-19, 16-21, 18-21 defeat at the hands of Japan's Sayaka Sato in the opening round that lasted little over an hour. Saina, who recently made a first-round exit at the Malaysia Open, underwent knee surgery after the 2016 Rio Olympics and since recovering the Hyderabad girl has been struggling to return to her menacing best. In men's singles, India's Ajay Jayaram also advanced to the second round after posting a 21-18, 18-21, 21-19 win over fifth-seeded Tian Houwei of China. Meanwhile, Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy suffered a major blow as they bowed out of the tournament after suffering a 20-22, 16-21 defeat to the South Korea duo of Chae Yoo Jung and Kim So Yeong. (ANI)

Sindhu, Jayaram advance in Asian badminton Championship

India&#39;s PV Sindhu won a much-anticipated clash with compatriot Saina Nehwal in straight games to book a place in the semi-finals of the India Open badminton tournament in New Delhi on Friday.

Rio Olympics silver medallist Sindhu served past former champion Saina 21-16, 22-20 in an intense 47-minute quarter-final battle at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.

Sindhu, 21, had to dig deep into her reservoir of talent against the former world number one Saina as a raucous home crowd found it hard to take sides.

Sindhu, who lost to Saina, 27, in their only international meeting in 2014, won the first game in 19 minutes but had to fight hard to recover a 16-19 trail in the second game.

&quot;Overall a very good match... even when she was leading 20-19, I still had the belief that I could pull through, I can do it,&quot; Sindhu told reporters.

&quot;Sindhu-Saina is not a new rivalry... rivalry is always there on court but off court we are normal friends. I didn&#39;t feel any pressure. I don&#39;t know about her.

&quot;Saina is not someone special that I have to win against her. Against each player, I will give 100 percent.&quot;

Sindhu will now meet second-seeded South Korean player Sung Ji Hyun, who earlier edged out defending champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-16, 22-20, in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Top-seeded Spanish star Carolina Marin also booked her last-four spot after battling past Minatsu Mitani of Japan 21-10, 20-22, 21-14.

Marin will clash with fourth-seeded Akane Yamaguchi, who staved off a challenge from fellow Japanese Nozomi Okuhara 21-13, 11-21, 21-18.

In the men&#39;s singles quarter-finals, Denmark&#39;s Viktor Axelsen survived a tough challenge from Wang Tzu Wei of Taiwan to prevail 19-21, 21-14, 21-16 in 65 minutes.

(AFP)

Sindhu served past former champion Saina 21-16, 22-20 in an intense 47-minute quarter-final battle at the Siri Fort Sports Complex

India's PV Sindhu won a much-anticipated clash with compatriot Saina Nehwal in straight games to book a place in the semi-finals of the India Open badminton tournament in New Delhi on Friday. Rio Olympics silver medallist Sindhu served past former champion Saina 21-16, 22-20 in an intense 47-minute quarter-final battle at the Siri Fort Sports Complex. Sindhu, 21, had to dig deep into her reservoir of talent against the former world number one Saina as a raucous home crowd found it hard to take sides. Sindhu, who lost to Saina, 27, in their only international meeting in 2014, won the first game in 19 minutes but had to fight hard to recover a 16-19 trail in the second game. "Overall a very good match... even when she was leading 20-19, I still had the belief that I could pull through, I can do it," Sindhu told reporters. "Sindhu-Saina is not a new rivalry... rivalry is always there on court but off court we are normal friends. I didn't feel any pressure. I don't know about her. "Saina is not someone special that I have to win against her. Against each player, I will give 100 percent." Sindhu will now meet second-seeded South Korean player Sung Ji Hyun, who earlier edged out defending champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-16, 22-20, in the semi-finals on Saturday. Top-seeded Spanish star Carolina Marin also booked her last-four spot after battling past Minatsu Mitani of Japan 21-10, 20-22, 21-14. Marin will clash with fourth-seeded Akane Yamaguchi, who staved off a challenge from fellow Japanese Nozomi Okuhara 21-13, 11-21, 21-18. In the men's singles quarter-finals, Denmark's Viktor Axelsen survived a tough challenge from Wang Tzu Wei of Taiwan to prevail 19-21, 21-14, 21-16 in 65 minutes. (AFP)

PV Sindhu beats Saina Nehwal to enter India Open semis

Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal today stormed into the quarterfinals of the All England Open Badminton Championships after their straight-game victories over their respective opponents in the women&#39;s singles event here. 
 
Both Sindhu and Saina are in the top half of the women&#39;s singles and if they win their respective quarterfinal matches, they will face each other in a mouth-watering clash in the semifinals. 
 
However in the men&#39;s singles, H S Prannoy suffered a 13-21 5-21 loss to seventh seeded Chinese Tian Houwei in 33 minutes to crash out of the tournament. 
 
Sindhu, a silver medallist at the Rio Olympics, dished out a dominating game to trounce Indonesia&#39;s Dinar Dyah Ayustine 21-12 21-4 in just 30 minutes. 
 
The sixth seeded Indian will face the winner of the match between world number one&nbsp;Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei and Japan&#39;s Minatsu Mitani in the quarterfinals. 
 
Sindhu and Ayustine were tied at 4-4 initially but after that the Indian broke off and left her opponent far behind to go one game up. 
 
In the second game, Sindhu opened up a 9-0 lead early on and never looked back against her Indonesian opponent to easily clinched her second round match. 
 
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina also notched up a comfortable 21-18 21-10 win over Germany&#39;s Fabienne Deprez in 35 minutes. The eighth seeded Indian will face the winner of the match between third seed Sung Ji Hyun of Korea and Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong in the quarterfinals. 
 
World No. 10 Saina had defeated defending champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 21-15 21-14 in the opening round late last night. 
 
In the second round match against Deprez today, Saina opened up a 12-8 lead at one stage but her opponent make a come back by levelling the score to 17-17. Saina, however, held onto her nerves to win the first game 21-18. 
 
In the second game, Saina was more ruthless and she surged ahead from 1-1 onwards, never to give her opponent a chance to come back into the match.

(PTI)

Sixth-seeded Sindhu trounced Indonesia's Dinar Dyah Ayustine 21-12 21-4, while Nehwal beat Germany's Fabienne Deprez 21-18 21-10

Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal today stormed into the quarterfinals of the All England Open Badminton Championships after their straight-game victories over their respective opponents in the women's singles event here. Both Sindhu and Saina are in the top half of the women's singles and if they win their respective quarterfinal matches, they will face each other in a mouth-watering clash in the semifinals. However in the men's singles, H S Prannoy suffered a 13-21 5-21 loss to seventh seeded Chinese Tian Houwei in 33 minutes to crash out of the tournament. Sindhu, a silver medallist at the Rio Olympics, dished out a dominating game to trounce Indonesia's Dinar Dyah Ayustine 21-12 21-4 in just 30 minutes. The sixth seeded Indian will face the winner of the match between world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei and Japan's Minatsu Mitani in the quarterfinals. Sindhu and Ayustine were tied at 4-4 initially but after that the Indian broke off and left her opponent far behind to go one game up. In the second game, Sindhu opened up a 9-0 lead early on and never looked back against her Indonesian opponent to easily clinched her second round match. London Olympics bronze medallist Saina also notched up a comfortable 21-18 21-10 win over Germany's Fabienne Deprez in 35 minutes. The eighth seeded Indian will face the winner of the match between third seed Sung Ji Hyun of Korea and Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong in the quarterfinals. World No. 10 Saina had defeated defending champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 21-15 21-14 in the opening round late last night. In the second round match against Deprez today, Saina opened up a 12-8 lead at one stage but her opponent make a come back by levelling the score to 17-17. Saina, however, held onto her nerves to win the first game 21-18. In the second game, Saina was more ruthless and she surged ahead from 1-1 onwards, never to give her opponent a chance to come back into the match. (PTI)

PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal enter All England Open quarters

Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal notched up her first title after a career-threatening injury by claiming the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold with a hard-fought victory in the summit clash on Sunday.

Up against 18-year-old Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong, the top-seeded London Olympics bronze-medallist triumphed 22-20 22-20 in a 46-minute clash.

This was her 23rd title overall and the first after last year&#39;s Australian Open.

The 26-year-old world No.10, who had been desperately looking for a title that boosts her confidence after recovering from a knee surgery last year, was squaring off against a rival ranked more than 50 places below her at 67th.

The two were meeting for the first time in the circuit and Saina was on the backfoot in the opening game when Chochuwong reeled off four consecutive points to grab the early initiative.

Chochuwong maintained the advantage going forward and was placed 11-5 at the break. However, Saina narrowed the gap to make it 10-13 before drawing level at 19-19 and then saving a game point. Chochuwong could not handle the pressure thereafter as Saina drew from her experience to clinch the opening game after a 20-minute slog.

In the second game as well, Chochuwong was quicker off the blocks with a 3-0 lead but this time Saina did not leave it for too late and took the lead at 7-5. The Thai teenager, however, drew level at 8-8 and 11-11 but Saina did not allow her to clinch the momentum. The Hyderabadi remained in the lead, albeit slender, before blowing away four match points to help Chochuwong draw level at 20-20. But the Indian managed to get over the hiccup and wrap up the issue soon after for what would be a massive morale-booster for her.

(PTI)

The world number 10 beat her Thai opponent 22-20, 22-20 in 46 minutes to win her 23rd career title

Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal notched up her first title after a career-threatening injury by claiming the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold with a hard-fought victory in the summit clash on Sunday. Up against 18-year-old Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong, the top-seeded London Olympics bronze-medallist triumphed 22-20 22-20 in a 46-minute clash. This was her 23rd title overall and the first after last year's Australian Open. The 26-year-old world No.10, who had been desperately looking for a title that boosts her confidence after recovering from a knee surgery last year, was squaring off against a rival ranked more than 50 places below her at 67th. The two were meeting for the first time in the circuit and Saina was on the backfoot in the opening game when Chochuwong reeled off four consecutive points to grab the early initiative. Chochuwong maintained the advantage going forward and was placed 11-5 at the break. However, Saina narrowed the gap to make it 10-13 before drawing level at 19-19 and then saving a game point. Chochuwong could not handle the pressure thereafter as Saina drew from her experience to clinch the opening game after a 20-minute slog. In the second game as well, Chochuwong was quicker off the blocks with a 3-0 lead but this time Saina did not leave it for too late and took the lead at 7-5. The Thai teenager, however, drew level at 8-8 and 11-11 but Saina did not allow her to clinch the momentum. The Hyderabadi remained in the lead, albeit slender, before blowing away four match points to help Chochuwong draw level at 20-20. But the Indian managed to get over the hiccup and wrap up the issue soon after for what would be a massive morale-booster for her. (PTI)

Saina Nehwal beats Chochuwong to triumph in Malaysia

Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal is better equipped to win a medal in Rio in August than she was when she claimed a bronze at the London Olympics four years ago, according to former All England champion Prakash Padukone. 
 
Hopes that the former world number one can turn bronze into a first Olympic gold medal in the sport for her country were raised when Nehwal won the 2016 Australian Superseries title. 
 
Rio will mark a third Olympics for Nehwal, who beat former world champions Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand and Wang Yihan before overpowering China&#39;s Sun Yu in the final in Sydney. 
 
&quot;Saina has a lot more variety now,&quot; former men&#39;s world number one Padukone said in an interview. &quot;I think she plays a lot more at the net now. Earlier her game was more or less predictable. She had a few strokes, she used to keep playing them and there were not many variations. Now she has developed a lot more strokes, specially at the net. She is much more confident and that has made a big difference.&quot; 
 
The victory in Australia came at just the right time for Nehwal, who had failed to reach a World Superseries final since last November in China, and was returning from an Achilles injury she sustained at the end of last year. 
 
Padukone, who won the All England title in 1980 long before badminton was admitted to the Olympics in 1992, said the 26-year-old&#39;s game just needed a bit of tweaking. 
 
&quot;Tactically she can do a little bit more. Maybe a plan A and plan B, which I&#39;m sure she already has,&quot; said Padukone. &quot;Maybe if something doesn&#39;t work, then she has to have a different plan. It&#39;s just the question of a little bit of polishing. She definitely has everything otherwise she wouldn&#39;t have been where she is.&quot; 
 
China has long been the dominant force in the sport, sweeping all five titles at London four years ago, but their shuttlers no longer top the world rankings heading to Rio. While Malaysian Lee Chong Wei tops the men&#39;s singles rankings, Carolina Marin of Spain leads the women&#39;s list with Nehwal in sixth place. 
 
World Badminton has also limited each nation to two singles entrants in each event, down from the three at London and previous Games. Padukone feels that makes a Chinese sweep of badminton gold in Rio less likely. 
 
&quot;They are no longer the dominating force going by the results we have seen in the last 12 to 24 months,&quot; Padukone said. &quot;Earlier when the draw used to come, everybody used to hope there are no Chinese. That&#39;s no longer the case, that fear is not there anymore. That&#39;s good for the game. For the Indians, though they wouldn&#39;t say it, but it used to be a mind-block.&quot; 
 
India&#39;s best chance of medals will come in the women&#39;s singles, Padukone said, where as well as Nehwal they have PV Sindhu ranked 10th in the world. 
 
Padukone said the most important thing for the Indian shuttlers was to peak during the Rio Games. 
 
&quot;When you go there it doesn&#39;t matter if in the last two months you have beaten all the top players and you have been the world number one,&quot; Padukone said. &quot;It&#39;s important that you reach the peak and play your best during that particular week. That&#39;s what will count ultimately and will be the key.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Padukone, who won the All England title in 1980, said the 26-year-old's game just needed a bit of tweaking

Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal is better equipped to win a medal in Rio in August than she was when she claimed a bronze at the London Olympics four years ago, according to former All England champion Prakash Padukone. Hopes that the former world number one can turn bronze into a first Olympic gold medal in the sport for her country were raised when Nehwal won the 2016 Australian Superseries title. Rio will mark a third Olympics for Nehwal, who beat former world champions Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand and Wang Yihan before overpowering China's Sun Yu in the final in Sydney. "Saina has a lot more variety now," former men's world number one Padukone said in an interview. "I think she plays a lot more at the net now. Earlier her game was more or less predictable. She had a few strokes, she used to keep playing them and there were not many variations. Now she has developed a lot more strokes, specially at the net. She is much more confident and that has made a big difference." The victory in Australia came at just the right time for Nehwal, who had failed to reach a World Superseries final since last November in China, and was returning from an Achilles injury she sustained at the end of last year. Padukone, who won the All England title in 1980 long before badminton was admitted to the Olympics in 1992, said the 26-year-old's game just needed a bit of tweaking. "Tactically she can do a little bit more. Maybe a plan A and plan B, which I'm sure she already has," said Padukone. "Maybe if something doesn't work, then she has to have a different plan. It's just the question of a little bit of polishing. She definitely has everything otherwise she wouldn't have been where she is." China has long been the dominant force in the sport, sweeping all five titles at London four years ago, but their shuttlers no longer top the world rankings heading to Rio. While Malaysian Lee Chong Wei tops the men's singles rankings, Carolina Marin of Spain leads the women's list with Nehwal in sixth place. World Badminton has also limited each nation to two singles entrants in each event, down from the three at London and previous Games. Padukone feels that makes a Chinese sweep of badminton gold in Rio less likely. "They are no longer the dominating force going by the results we have seen in the last 12 to 24 months," Padukone said. "Earlier when the draw used to come, everybody used to hope there are no Chinese. That's no longer the case, that fear is not there anymore. That's good for the game. For the Indians, though they wouldn't say it, but it used to be a mind-block." India's best chance of medals will come in the women's singles, Padukone said, where as well as Nehwal they have PV Sindhu ranked 10th in the world. Padukone said the most important thing for the Indian shuttlers was to peak during the Rio Games. "When you go there it doesn't matter if in the last two months you have beaten all the top players and you have been the world number one," Padukone said. "It's important that you reach the peak and play your best during that particular week. That's what will count ultimately and will be the key." (Reuters)

Former badminton great Padukone pins Olympic medal hopes on India's Saina Nehwal

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal eschews the &quot;natural talent&quot; tag thrust upon her by the media in her country. Nehwal, who won an Olympic bronze medal four years ago in London, feels that it&#39;s her hard work and grit that&#39;s allowed for her to be seen as a serious contender for gold at the Rio games later this year.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Whatever I am today, it&#39;s because of my coaches,&quot; Nehwal told Reuters in an email interview following her victory at the Australian Open last week. &quot;They taught me smash, dribble and net game in copybook style and I trained five to six hours daily to master them.&quot; 
 
&quot;I am a worker and my coaches know how to get the best out of me,&quot; added the 26-year-old, who became the first Indian shuttler to win an Olympic medal in 2012. 
 
While winning a medal in London was celebrated back home in success-starved India, her rise to the top of the world singles rankings in April last year was no less significant. 
 
It marked the first time a non-Chinese shuttler sat atop the women&#39;s singles rankings since Denmark&#39;s Tine Baun in late 2010. 
 
Nehwal, who will be 30 by the time the 2020 Olympics come around in Tokyo, believes Rio is her best chance to win gold. 
 
&quot;For 2020?, it depends on my progress and health conditions. Rio is an ideal place to showcase my game,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;You can&#39;t predict results. You need hard work and God&#39;s blessing, apart from support from the fraternity,&quot; the world number six said. 
 
Rio will mark a third Olympics for Nehwal, who is hitting a rich vein of form at exactly the right time. 
 
Her second Australian Open title saw her beat world champions Ratchanok Intanon (2013) and Wang Yihan (2011) before overpowering China&rsquo;s Sun Yu in the final in Sydney. 
 
&quot;It is wonderful to win Australian Open prior to the Olympics. It is very satisfying to beat two world champions and a junior world champion (Malaysian Goh Jin Wei) in one tournament,&quot; she said. 
 
It was a welcome win for Nehwal, who had failed to reach a World Superseries final since last November in China and was returning from an Achilles injury she sustained at the end of last year. 
 
&quot;The injury was a big jolt to me ... I missed South Asian Games, Indian Grand Prix and the (badminton) Asian team championship. 
 
&quot;It was mid-May when I felt I was good enough to play tournament. It was a horror, looking at my condition those three months.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Rio will mark a third Olympics for Nehwal, who is hitting a rich vein of form at exactly the right time

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal eschews the "natural talent" tag thrust upon her by the media in her country. Nehwal, who won an Olympic bronze medal four years ago in London, feels that it's her hard work and grit that's allowed for her to be seen as a serious contender for gold at the Rio games later this year. "Whatever I am today, it's because of my coaches," Nehwal told Reuters in an email interview following her victory at the Australian Open last week. "They taught me smash, dribble and net game in copybook style and I trained five to six hours daily to master them." "I am a worker and my coaches know how to get the best out of me," added the 26-year-old, who became the first Indian shuttler to win an Olympic medal in 2012. While winning a medal in London was celebrated back home in success-starved India, her rise to the top of the world singles rankings in April last year was no less significant. It marked the first time a non-Chinese shuttler sat atop the women's singles rankings since Denmark's Tine Baun in late 2010. Nehwal, who will be 30 by the time the 2020 Olympics come around in Tokyo, believes Rio is her best chance to win gold. "For 2020?, it depends on my progress and health conditions. Rio is an ideal place to showcase my game," she said. "You can't predict results. You need hard work and God's blessing, apart from support from the fraternity," the world number six said. Rio will mark a third Olympics for Nehwal, who is hitting a rich vein of form at exactly the right time. Her second Australian Open title saw her beat world champions Ratchanok Intanon (2013) and Wang Yihan (2011) before overpowering China’s Sun Yu in the final in Sydney. "It is wonderful to win Australian Open prior to the Olympics. It is very satisfying to beat two world champions and a junior world champion (Malaysian Goh Jin Wei) in one tournament," she said. It was a welcome win for Nehwal, who had failed to reach a World Superseries final since last November in China and was returning from an Achilles injury she sustained at the end of last year. "The injury was a big jolt to me ... I missed South Asian Games, Indian Grand Prix and the (badminton) Asian team championship. "It was mid-May when I felt I was good enough to play tournament. It was a horror, looking at my condition those three months." (Reuters)

Hard-working Nehwal senses golden Rio opportunity

The threat of Zika at the Rio Olympics is on the mind of many athletes, but may be not more than&nbsp;China&#39;s former badminton world champion, Wang Yihan, who was attacked mercilessly by insects while competing in Indonesia last week. 
 
The svelte 28-year-old, who won silver in the women&#39;s singles at the London Games, was still smarting from red bites up and down her arms as she competed at the Australian Badminton Open in Sydney on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;They&#39;re itchy,&quot; she told Reuters, lathered in sweat after a tough opening round win over Scotland&#39;s Kirsty Gilmour at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. 
 
&quot;And the sweat makes it worse.&quot; 
 
&quot;I&#39;m really not sure what kind of bugs they were. I don&#39;t think they were mosquitoes. Maybe it was on the bed that I was sleeping on. 
 
&quot;I bought some cream for them, but they&#39;re still itchy.&quot; 
 
A number of athletes have already pulled out of the Olympics citing health risks associated with the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause crippling birth defects and development problems in babies. 
 
Others are declining to bring family members and loved ones with them. Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford decided to freeze his sperm to safeguard future plans for extending his young family. 
 
However, the outbreak in Brazil will not stop China from unleashing its full artillery of badminton champions, who will attempt to defend their sweep of five titles at London. 
 
&quot;Yes, I think everyone&#39;s been thinking about (Zika),&quot; Wang said. &quot;But obviously we&#39;ve been told about how to be safe, wearing repellent and staying indoors and so on.&quot; 
 
Shanghai-born Wang is determined to go one better at Rio, having been upset in London&#39;s gold-medal decider by compatriot Li Xuerui, an unheralded player, before her Olympic triumph. 
 
Wang&#39;s anguish upon losing the final was written large on her face and she was still gloomy as she mounted the podium next to her beaming team mate. 
 
&quot;I did feel disappointed at the time, even though it was my team mate who won the gold,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;Of course it&#39;s great to get any medal but in the end, there&#39;s only one champion.&quot; 
 
World badminton has changed the Olympic rules so that nations can only enter two shuttlers into the singles events, which will make it harder for China to repeat their London domination. 
 
Wang is currently ranked third in the world, ahead of fourth-ranked Li, with the top two spots occupied by Spain&#39;s world number one Carolina Marin and Thai Ratchanok Intanon. 
 
China&#39;s women have traditionally dominated the singles rankings, so the variety at the top has been welcomed by badminton fans and raised hope of a more open tournament at Rio. 
 
Wang said any number of players could win her event but felt Chongqing-born Li would be hard to beat and perhaps the biggest threat to her own gold ambitions. 
 
&quot;I think Li&#39;s game is really complete overall,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve both got our different strengths. 
 
&quot;There are other players like Ratchanok, Marin and (Indian player) Saina Nehwal who all have a chance but I think Li is still at a higher level.&quot;

Citing health risks associated with Zika virus, many athletes have pulled out of Olympics, while others are unwilling to bring family

The threat of Zika at the Rio Olympics is on the mind of many athletes, but may be not more than China's former badminton world champion, Wang Yihan, who was attacked mercilessly by insects while competing in Indonesia last week. The svelte 28-year-old, who won silver in the women's singles at the London Games, was still smarting from red bites up and down her arms as she competed at the Australian Badminton Open in Sydney on Wednesday. "They're itchy," she told Reuters, lathered in sweat after a tough opening round win over Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. "And the sweat makes it worse." "I'm really not sure what kind of bugs they were. I don't think they were mosquitoes. Maybe it was on the bed that I was sleeping on. "I bought some cream for them, but they're still itchy." A number of athletes have already pulled out of the Olympics citing health risks associated with the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause crippling birth defects and development problems in babies. Others are declining to bring family members and loved ones with them. Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford decided to freeze his sperm to safeguard future plans for extending his young family. However, the outbreak in Brazil will not stop China from unleashing its full artillery of badminton champions, who will attempt to defend their sweep of five titles at London. "Yes, I think everyone's been thinking about (Zika)," Wang said. "But obviously we've been told about how to be safe, wearing repellent and staying indoors and so on." Shanghai-born Wang is determined to go one better at Rio, having been upset in London's gold-medal decider by compatriot Li Xuerui, an unheralded player, before her Olympic triumph. Wang's anguish upon losing the final was written large on her face and she was still gloomy as she mounted the podium next to her beaming team mate. "I did feel disappointed at the time, even though it was my team mate who won the gold," she said. "Of course it's great to get any medal but in the end, there's only one champion." World badminton has changed the Olympic rules so that nations can only enter two shuttlers into the singles events, which will make it harder for China to repeat their London domination. Wang is currently ranked third in the world, ahead of fourth-ranked Li, with the top two spots occupied by Spain's world number one Carolina Marin and Thai Ratchanok Intanon. China's women have traditionally dominated the singles rankings, so the variety at the top has been welcomed by badminton fans and raised hope of a more open tournament at Rio. Wang said any number of players could win her event but felt Chongqing-born Li would be hard to beat and perhaps the biggest threat to her own gold ambitions. "I think Li's game is really complete overall," she said. "We've both got our different strengths. "There are other players like Ratchanok, Marin and (Indian player) Saina Nehwal who all have a chance but I think Li is still at a higher level."

Zika threat bugging Chinese shuttler Wang

Star shuttler Saina Nehwal`s straight-game win in the pre-quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open Superseries was the lone bright spot as Rio-bound doubles pairs, Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponappa and Manu Attri-B&nbsp;Sumeeth Reddy, crashed out today. 
 
World No.8 Saina registered a comprehensive 21-11, 21-10 win over local favourite Fitriani Fitriani to advance to the quarter-finals of the women`s singles at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here. 
 
Saina, who had beaten Fitriani at the Badminton Asia Championships in April this year, moved to a 9-7 lead, and then raced to 14-7 with six consecutive points to pocket the first game. 
 
In the second game, the Hyderabadi zoomed 10-3 ahead and went on to thrash the Indonesian without losing much sweat. 
 
Saina, the three-time champion, is likely to take on top seed Carolina Marin of Spain in the last eight. 
 
However, India`s doubles shuttlers failed to make an impact as both the women`s and men`s pairs of Jwala- Ashwini and Manu-Sumeeth suffered contrasting defeats. 
 
The World No.14 duo of Jwala-Ashwini lost 9-21, 18-21 to Chinese combo of Huang Yaqiong and Tang Jinhua in the women`s doubles, while No.20 Manu-Sumeeth went down 18-21, 13-21 to sixth seeded South Koreans Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Cheol.

World No.8 Saina registered a comprehensive 21-11, 21-10 win over local favourite Fitriani to advance to the quarter-finals of the women's singles

Star shuttler Saina Nehwal`s straight-game win in the pre-quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open Superseries was the lone bright spot as Rio-bound doubles pairs, Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponappa and Manu Attri-B Sumeeth Reddy, crashed out today. World No.8 Saina registered a comprehensive 21-11, 21-10 win over local favourite Fitriani Fitriani to advance to the quarter-finals of the women`s singles at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here. Saina, who had beaten Fitriani at the Badminton Asia Championships in April this year, moved to a 9-7 lead, and then raced to 14-7 with six consecutive points to pocket the first game. In the second game, the Hyderabadi zoomed 10-3 ahead and went on to thrash the Indonesian without losing much sweat. Saina, the three-time champion, is likely to take on top seed Carolina Marin of Spain in the last eight. However, India`s doubles shuttlers failed to make an impact as both the women`s and men`s pairs of Jwala- Ashwini and Manu-Sumeeth suffered contrasting defeats. The World No.14 duo of Jwala-Ashwini lost 9-21, 18-21 to Chinese combo of Huang Yaqiong and Tang Jinhua in the women`s doubles, while No.20 Manu-Sumeeth went down 18-21, 13-21 to sixth seeded South Koreans Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Cheol.

Saina in quarters, Jwala-Ashwini, Manu-Sumeeth out of Indonesia Open

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