If there was any question mark on Saina’s match preparedness after taking over a month’s break from competitive badminton since winning the London Olympics bronze medal in August, the world number four gave an emphatic reply by winning the women’s singles title at the Denmark Super Series Premier without dropping a game in the entire tournament.
The third seed went into the tournament admitting that she wasn’t expecting much from the tournament since she was returning from a break and a knee injury. But the Bharat Petroleum employee, who recently signed Rs 40 crore deal for three years, showed no signs of rustiness or injury throughout the tournament.
In fact, it was her opponents who looked battle weary and it was no different against Juliane Schenk of Germany in the final. The German is known for her ability to push the physical limits of the opponent but in the final she was clearly no match to Saina’s pace and guile as the Indian bagged her second Premier level title of the year with a 21-17, 21-8 victory in just 34 minutes.
The title triumph also means that Saina became only the second Indian to win a Danish Open title after Prakash Padukone, who achieved the feat back in 1979. Saina now has 16 international titles to her name which includes six super series crowns.
Just before the start of the match a fire alarm went off and delayed the proceedings by a few minutes till the announcer made it clear that it was a false alarm. The final was played on similar lines with Schenk creating a false impression that she was up for a fight by making a comeback on a couple of occasions in the first game.
But the German never really looked threatening or had the energy to launch a full blown attack and simply caved in after the change of end. Saina simply had to keep the shuttle in play in the second half of the game and Schenk gifted points through unforced errors and did not even attempt to return the Indian serve on match point.
Later, Saina admitted that she did not expect much from this tournament and was happy that she could play at her best here. “There were a lot of felicitations and other functions after the Olympics. My right knee was also not in prime condition and hence I was not expecting much. But I am thankful to god and all the supporters here who stood behind me.”
Saina will now head to the French Super Series where she is the top seed.
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