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.

... contd.