Saina Nehwal wins her first Denmark Open title

22 October, 2012

Saina Nehwal defeated Juliane Schenk to win the Denmark Open in straight sets, 21-17 and 21-8. She has been the best non-Chinese player dominating women's badminton for a long time now.

SAINA NEHWAL has been carrying the Indian flag in the badminton court ever since she came into the spotlight after she won her first major title - Indonesia Super Series Premier in 2009. She has not looked back ever since. On Sunday (yesterday), she defeated Juliane Schenk from Germany 21-17 and 21-8 in her first Denmark Open title in Odense, Denmark.

During the finals, the Hyderabadi girl looked in prime form as she made her German opponent dance all around the court with a combination of deft touches and hot smashes, which was too good for Schenk to handle. It was not only her performance in the finals that helped her win the title, but her performance throughout the championship. She did not lose a single set in the championship.

Her biggest win in the tournament came against Yihan Wang from China, whom she defeated in the semis, though the Chinese girl retired before the game finished. Saina had won the first set and was leading in the second set, when the game was awarded to her. It was her first victory against Wang. Earlier in the competition, she also defeated Tine Baun from Denmark during the quarter-finals of the competition.

The title looks special on many counts – she had not trained the way she would have liked, as she had to attend many functions after she won a Bronze medal in the London Olympics. She was not fully fit, as she was suffering from her knee injury as well. But she overcame all such obstacles to clinch the title, where her best performance in the past stood as a second round exit last year.

With the Denmark Open, Saina has justified her position as one of the best shuttlers of the modern era. She has been the best non-Chinese player to have dominated world badminton.