Saina Nahiwal: 2nd on world ranking

Yusuf

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NEW DELHI: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Thursday took a giant stride towards realising her goal of becoming the world number one player as she jumped three places to a career-best third in the latest international rankings.

Saina's rise follows back-to-back title triumphs at the India Open Grand Prix and the Singapore Open Super Series respectively.

By virtue of the consecutive titles earlier this month, Saina, with 64791.2637 points, made a significant upward movement in the chart and is just behind Chinese duo of Yihan Wang and Xin Wang.

Saina's previous best ranking was a fifth position which she attained in March this year after becoming the first Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the prestigious All England Super Series Championships.

However, she dropped to the sixth position in the subsequent weeks.

Saina is presently playing in the Indonesia Open and is well on course for a hat-trick of titles after reaching the quarterfinals of the Super Series event.

In the men's ranking, the Indian trio of Chetan Anand, P Kashyap and Arvind Bhatt moved up a rung to the 16th, 27th and 28th spot respectively.
Some great new this. A sport apart from cricket producing world beaters. Wish her the best to reach No 1.
 

ajtr

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Congrats to Sania Nehwal with word of caution

The new 'S' girl


Bachi Karkaria, 23 June 2010, 07:52 PM IST
Their names are separated by just a nudge of syllables, both are Hyderabadis and both are India's s most famous women 'racketeers' of all time. This week put them galaxies apart. On Sunday, the low-key Saina Nehwal blazed higher into history by winning the Super Singapore Series just a week after her triumph at the Indian Open, a Grand Prix Gold event. This made her the first Indian woman ever to bag two Super Series. On Tuesday, superstar Sania Mirza crashed out of the first round of the women's singles at Wimbledon. Our baby had gone a long way down from her 2005 WTA tour when she sent our adrenalin racing with the way she smashed balls, records and stereotypes.

No, I don't mean to hit a girl when she's down, more so when baggy-shorts badminton has cheekily cocked a snook at sexy tennis. Yet both our athletes need reminding that stardom is never an Open or shut case. Shuttlecock Saina appears to be a hardy glamour-resistant strain, to the point of being dowdy; Ballsy Sania made it clear that she was genetically wired for shimmy-shimmer right from 2003, when she turned pro, heads, and headlines. But celebrity is a bitchier goddess than its predecessor, Success. For the last couple of years, Sania's tragedy has been that she's trying harder to be a star than to be a star player. To adapt Becket's line from TS Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral, for her "The last temptation was the greatest treason, to be in the right places for the wrong reasons."

A pity. When Comet Sania swept across our media, we gazed in awe, wonder and sheer exhilaration at this spunky teen whose attitude matched her prodigious talent. Her tees proclaimed that she wasn't going to mind her p's and q's to oblige prim hypocrisies. So did her stylish shorts till the mullahs got to her to the point where it interfered with her concentration on what was most important, her game. Sadly, OD-ing on celebrity a couple of years later, her own moves began to do much the same.

You didn't have to know a forehand from a backhanded compliment to be wowed by the original Sania Mirza. She went beyond tennis in a more positive way than Prince Saurabh and his boys were more than just cricket. She symbolized liberalized India, urbane, give-it-all it takes-and-take-all-it- gives -and-more. Wanting, flaunting, brand-worshipping, unabashedly self-adoring, and to hell with those who cluck in disapproval. Preceding pink chaddis (but flashing them too), Sania set the pace for the young women who had Bangalored the past, and wiggled their haltered tops at those who shrieked, 'Halt, enough.' Way to go, girl, we had cheered as we preened by proxy over what this iconic kid was establishing with such class on and off the courts.

Then Sania fell into the trap. Suddenly she was everywhere except on the courts. Mostly in the ads and photo-shoots. And then the trans border marriage to Bad Boy Malik rather than Suitable Sohrab. Fine, celebs must feed the beast. But it's one thing to be beyond tennis, it's another to be no longer about tennis. In much the same way our rage over the T20 World Cup debacle in May served notice that hpwever much we clamour for cricket glamour, we won't allow it to smash the central deity.

Ms Nehwal is clearly quite another ball-game from Ms Mirza, but it's still worth cautioning her 'Bachna ae hasaina'. The soaring eagles of fame can so easily turn into vultures.
 

nandu

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World number two and counting

HYDERABAD: Continuing her meteoric rise in world badminton, Saina Nehwal zoomed to No. 2 spot in the world rankings released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Thursday.

The grand treble she achieved last month, winning the Indian Grand Prix, Singapore and Indonesian Super Series, had catapulted her to the third spot on June 24 and as China's Wang Xin lost 3,400 points in the last week, the Indian ace moved one rung up to be second.

Thrilled at the phenomenal achievement, Saina said that the rise in rankings reminds her of the responsibility to do well for the country. "I am feeling thrilled. I can't believe that I am world No. 2. I know it's all because of the three consecutive victories last month. But I am a little bit tense now. I know there will be a lot of expectations. It's a great responsibility, though," Saina said.

Admitting that staying at the top will be a tough task, the 20-year-old said that she is determined to work hard and win more tournaments. "I know it's very tough to stay on top. But if I continue to work hard and stay fit I can stay there," Saina said.

At the start of the season, Saina's target was to break into the top-5 by the yearend, but the sudden escalation has helped her set new targets for the year. "My plan was to play very few tournaments and reach the top-5 by the end of the year but I am pleasantly surprised to have breached that mark so soon. Now I want to win the World Championship and become the No. 1 at the same time. Hope, I can do that next month," she said.

Saina may have to wait a little longer to achieve the top rank. Even if she wins the World Championship, Saina may not get the top rank unless reigning world No.1 Wang Yihan fails to reach the final. Saina needs to better Wang by a round at the World Championships to be held in Paris from August 23 to 29.

The Hyderabadi girl, who is training hard for the World Championships, said that she's confident of doing well in Paris. "I feel it's a great honour to enter the World Championship as No.2 and I am keen on giving my best there. I have about one month to train and I think that is good enough to gear up for a big tournament," she said.

Her coach Pullela Gopichand said that the new ranking will give Saina a great deal of confidence. "It's a great achievement which will enhance her confidence. I am confident that she has the ability to stay there," Gopi said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...mber-two-and-counting/articleshow/6174062.cms
 

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