Australian Open win is timely reminder of what Saina Nehwal can achieve if she stays fit

That confidence matters in sport (as it does in life) is self-evident. And nothing boosts confidence like winning. You can talk of a good game and do your best keep your spirits up and focus on the positives, but getting hold of a gleaming silver trophy has a way of banishing doubt like nothing else. That’s why Saina Nehwal’s win in the Australian Super Series on Sunday mattered so much. After a record-breaking 2015 in which she became World No 1 for the first time, Saina, struggling with injuries, had failed to win a tournament in the first five months of 2016. Worse still, she failed to reach a final in six tournaments since returning from injury in March and her ranking dropped to No 7. In the words of her coach Vimal Kumar, “After she lost a couple of months to the heel injury, Saina was getting desperate with every loss in the quarter-final or semi-final.” With the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro less than two months away, Saina needed a win to keep believing she is on the right track. But equally, it was the manner of her victory in Sydney that stood out and should make her feel like a million bucks. She outlasted World No 4 Ratchanok Intanon, who was the hottest player on tour, having won the last three tournaments. Saina held her nerve to win the first game 28-26, and after 32 excruciating minutes before closing the out the contest 21-16 in the second game. [caption id=“attachment_2831752” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Saina Nehwal poses with the trophy after winning the Australian Open title. PTI[/caption] That set-up a semi-final clash with her long-time nemesis, World No 2 Yihan Wang, who held an 11-4 record against Saina. It was a match that should have pushed the Indian player to the limit. Instead, she completely dominated Yihan in a way she has never done before. She played with the ferocity of a Tasmanian Devil, and was seemingly everywhere on the court at once. She simply refused to let Yihan settle into her natural game, keeping her off balance with a combination of deep pushes, sharp smashes and exquisite net play. She ran away with the first game in double quick time and the despair on Yihan’s face was writ large. There are times when Saina can falter despite appearing to have control of the match. This was not one of those times. She burst out of the gate in the second game with the same intensity, winning six straight points to take a 9-3 lead with a flurry of winners. Yihan’s shoulders slumped and her head dropped. Saina closed out the match 21-8, 21-12 in 31 minutes, one minute less than her first game against Intanon in the quarter-finals. If there was ever a statement match, this was it. Saina showed a rare attacking dimension to her play and was the aggressor from the start. She was tactically, positionally and technically brilliant. Her shot selection and execution were spot on, and she dictated the play and kept Yihan moving side to side and forward and back. So complete was Saina’s domination that Yihan never won more than two points in a row in either game. The final, however, provided Saina with the challenge everyone expected her to face against Yihan. She had beaten her opponent, China’s Sun Yu, five of the six times they had played. So naturally, she went on to lose the first game 21-11, also the first game she had lost all tournament. Faced with a completely different situation from her semi-final, Saina responded by blowing open the second game by winning six points in a row to take a 14-8 lead and took the game 21-14. The third was much closer, with neither player able to establish control. Saina fell behind 10-8 but reeled off four consecutive points to take a lead she would not relinquish. Sun saved the first two of Saina’s three championship points, but the Indian No 1 closed it out on her third attempt with a smash down the line before sinking to her knees in celebration. The quality of players she beat at Sydney and the manner in which she did it, especially against Yihan, should have lifted Saina’s spirits tremendously. She showed the full range of skills and mental toughness that champions need to succeed. It should also serve as a timely reminder of what she is capable of achieving when she is healthy and able to think clearly and move freely. As she prepares to hunker down and train for the Olympics over the next six weeks, it gives her the perfect memory to call on should an evil whisper of doubt creep in. “This win should spur her preparations towards the Olympic Games,” her coach Kumar told ESPN India. “There is a lot of scope for improvement and the next 6 to 7 weeks will help her prepare better. When you have no aches and pains and that you gain by doing the right physical conditioning you can get to a level and play to your potential.” With the likes of Carolina Marin, Li Xuerui, Ratchanok Intanon, Yihan Wang and All England champion Nozomi Okuhara, there’s plenty of competition at the top of women’s badminton and winning a second Olympic medal is far from certain for Saina. But if she were to play to her potential like she did in Sydney, few players in the world will fancy their chances against her.