Saina a step away from third successive Indonesian Open title

Jakarta:  Defending champion Saina Nehwal moved closer to a third successive title at the Indonesian Open after advancing to the finals, with a three-game triumph over Chinese Taipei’s Shao Chieh Cheng today. [caption id=“attachment_31465” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Saina had a a three-game triumph over Chinese Taipei’s Shao Chieh Cheng today. Adek Berry/AFP “] [/caption] The fourth seed won 21-14 14-21 21-17 in a 45-minute battle against giant-killer Cheng, who had created quite a flutter by upstaging top seed Shixian Wang and seventh seed Xin Liu earlier in the tournament. The opening game was fought on even keel before Saina reeled off seven successive points to nose ahead. The 21-year-old lost the momentum in the second game as Cheng drew level with more net winners than Saina’s. The third game was a closer affair but Cheng didn’t have a reply to Saina’s 11 smash winners, which sealed the game and the match for her. “I have seen her play in many tournaments. She is a very talented and hard working player. She is very dynamic and moves very fast on court. So it is important to have full force in the smashes or else she can retrieve from anywhere. It is a good win,” Saina told It was a sweet revenge for Saina who had lost narrowly to Cheng in the pre-quarterfinals of the Singapore Open in her last tournament. “I had lost closely to her. That too was my own fault as I had given two points. I was upset after the match but I am happy I could beat her today. She played well but I was pumped up to do well,” she said.   PTI