IBL 2013: Saina Nehwal shines as Hyderabad crush Pune 4-1

Saina Nehwal won a marathon match against Pune Pistons’ Juliane Schenk to lead Hyderabad Hotshots to a 4-1 win against Pune Pistons at the NSCI stadium in Mumbai. The win also means that Saina is still unbeaten in the tournament. Her 17-21, 21-19, 11-6 triumph was followed Ajay Jayaram’s upset win over Nyugen Tien Minh. V Shem Goh and Khim Wah Lim then beat Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas 21-19 21-16 to extend the lead to an unassailable 3-0, before Tanongsak beat Sourabh Verma 21-17 21-18 to make it 4-0. In the other big match of the evening, Ashwini Ponnappa and Nielsen Fischer beat Pradnya Gadre and V Shem Goh 21-11, 21-14, avoiding an embarrassing whitewash for Pune. Local lad Jayaram, who plays for Hyderabad gave no chance to world No 5 by taking the first game 21-19 and following it up with a one-sided second game which ended 21-8. For Jayaram, who is ranked 24th in the world, it was an exceptional fate: “I lost to Tien last year and at the back of my mind I had the pressure to win this game. I am very happy to have won this match in front of the Mumbai crowd as this is my hometown. I am elated and hoping to keep this form for my next game.” But if Jayaram gave the perfect start to the Hotshots, it was Saina Nehwal who gave them the momentum to go on and win the tie. This was the 13th meeting between Saina and Julianne, and Saina leads the head-to-head record by 9-4. [caption id=“attachment_1045283” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Saina in action. PTI[/caption] “This wasn’t the first time that I have beaten Schenk. She gives me a tough time each time we have played and this time too, the match was close and tough. But I am happy that I won and that too in India. I hope Hotshots wins today’s match,” Saine quipped after the match. The tie was a battle of the top dogs when it came to putting it on paper — world No 3 Schenk facing off against world No 4 Nehwal and the match showed why these two are so closely placed in the BWF rankings. In a match which saw both players dominate in intervals, it was Schenk who started off with a pleasing 21-17 first game win. She seemed stronger, more confident and immune to a partisan crowd. However, Saina came back strongly in the second game. She went neck-to-neck with Schenk and started smashing with more effect. Such was her power that at times Schenk had nothing to do but toss her racquet up in disgust. But it was not all about power. The two players, who like keeping their rallies long were also playing some lovely shots at the net, trying to outdo each other with subtle flicks which kept the crowd on their toes throughout the points. At one phase, it seemed Saina would crumble under the pressure — but a spate of points brought her back in the game. All these points were cracking smashes followed by loud celebrations from Saina. She was on fire and it was all too evident. Still, Schenk pushed her to the edge, only losing 19-21. The final game was slightly easier for Saina, with it being a battle of stamina and endurance rather than anything else. After a particularly long rally, the two players just bent down and started panting, with Saina also affording a wry smile. When it came to winning their points though, there was no joking around. Once Saina found that her bigger and taller opponent was tiring out, it was all about making her move all over in a bid to force mistakes. Schenk made them and Saina took the game 11-6. Ponnappa continued impressing in her partnership with Fischer. The 23-year-old used her trademark smashes to make the difference, but it was the tall Fischer who took off all the pressure from Pune’s captain. As Ponnappa bounced and bobbed at the net, Fischer was always there to aim bullet-like smashes towards Gadre and Goh. If their pair continues like this, then there is no reason to see them as the most formidable mixed pair of the IBL.