Saina Nehwal eyes Hong Kong Super Series, India Open

Asian Games loss still hurts but Saina Nehwal is overall satisfied with the way the year has unfolded and is now eyeing the Hong Kong Super Series and India Open title to end the season on a high.

The 20-year-old Indian, who regained her world number two ranking recently, said she has to improve a lot and work on her weaknesses continuously to win more tournaments.

“It was disappointing to lose in the Asian Games but I know I worked hard and gave my best. There was little time to prepare but otherwise the year has been good for me,” Saina said here on Friday.

“I want to win the Hong Kong Open and the India Grand Prix now to take forward the confidence to the next year.”
However, Saina, who had lost in the quarterfinals to Yip Pui Yin of Honk Kong in the Asian Games last month, said it is not going to be easy.

“I have to play well in Hong Kong to win the title. I might meet Yin again there and I hope to beat her. She has improved a lot but it would be a different match,” said the Indian ace, who is likely to meet Yip Pui Yin in the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open.
Saina has been in rampaging form this year, winning back-to-back tournament — India Open in Chennai, Singapore Open and Indonesian Open — in June.

But the icing on the cake for her was the Delhi Commonwealth Games gold medal that she won at the Siri Fort sport complex in October.

Asked about the challenges that await her in the new year, Saina said she would look to do well in the super series as those would be a perfect practice for the 2012 Olympics.

“I hope next year will be better for me. In 2011, I would look to play more super series events. It would be a good practice before the London Olympics,” she said.

Saina broke into the top 5 in March this year after her semifinal finish at the All England Badminton Championships. She continued her giant strides and reached the number two position after her hat-trick of titles in June.

Asked about her target as far as rankings are concerned, Saina said she would rather look to win tournaments than worrying about ranking.

“Ranking is just a number and my main emphasis would be on preparation and winning more tournaments next year,” she said.