At the level of the World Juniors, Nehwal’s smash-winners, which usually outnumber her opponents’, have sorted out both: weaker players such as Indonesian quarter-finalist Lindaweni Fanetri, leaving her unable to react as quickly as she’d like, or pugnacious ones like Chinese semi-finalist Shixian Wang by taking control of a rally, and swiftly upping the pace with quick kills.

A slow starter in the first game at most times, Nehwal never looked threatened in Pune since big leads were bridged with the smash, which coach Gopichand calls Saina’s special shot from the back-court. What has evolved over the last two years — it’s still work in progress — is the 18-year-old’s judicious use of her weapon.

There’s the aggression post a smash that alarms rivals and brings points in a clutch. But there’s also the looming half-smash when opponents look vulnerable in the lane. “She has powerful smashes, and then she has the same action for a drop shot — where she checks her wrist at the very last moment. Because of her reputation of being big on power, it catches opponents off-position,” comments Danish coach Jakob Hoei.

When the racquet-hand comes in quick with a steep angle, it opens up a lot of space in the front-court to deceive opponents. It’s not uncommon to find Nehwal trailing until a quick signal from coach Gopichand gets the wrist working.

In her own league

Martin Andrew, England junior coach, who has watched Nehwal’s progress over four years, believes she is in stark contrast to previous Indians. “Saina’s way stronger and lasts longer in matches. She also uses corners well. Her movement can get more fluent and strong, and it’ll be interesting to see if Asians can exploit her on speed. But I think she’ll work her way around that.”

Indeed, if there’s anything that can hamper her power-play, it’ll be her inability to reach the shuttle in time. “But she seems to be working on that. Also, she’s cut down on her errors in the last year, making her a steadier player,” says Dinesh Khanna, a TV commentator who’s seen Nehwal’s rise from national-domination to her amazing Olympics run.

Doubts over Nehwal’s court coverage tend to get muffled owing to her superior upper-body fitness. “She’s slow on her legs compared to the Chinese. But her strength is her hand,” says Malaysian Gan Wye. “Her hand skill and wrist-control makes up for slower strides,” he adds.

“Technically she might not match the Chinese or Koreans, but she plays with a very big heart. Its difficult to get her to crack,” adds finalist Sayaka Sato, who despite trying a bag of quick-tricks in the second game, felt distinctly over-powered.

Areas of concern

Another opponent who wilted was Shih Han Hung of Chinese Taipei. “She might look tentative initially. But in her mind, she’s very clear about how to dictate points,” Hung says.

Saina’s polished game, with her power-weapon weaved in, is credited to the fashion in which Gopichand has moulded it — three straight shots, one cross-court pattern. “Just the confidence he gives her is huge. Plus, she looks a player who follows tough regimens, and listens to her coach to the last consonant,” England coach Andrew says.

But this world title does not stop Indonesian Athik Jauhari, who has been working with the juniors at Hyderabad, from pointing out some areas of concern. “Her movement’s fine, it can get better. She’s not bad at the net too, but sometimes her smashes need to be harder. Also, she struggles to pick deep drop shots and smashes coming to her left or right,” he says, hinting at a stricter training regimen.