Indonesia Open: Can Saina effect a turnaround?

There would be no better venue for Saina Nehwal to fashion a turnaround than at the Indonesia Open, the main draw of which begins tomorrow.

After all, the Indonesia Open is her favourite tournament, the site of her most famous wins. It is again in Jakarta that the world No.2 will look to revive her form. It was here, in 2012, that Saina won an astonishing final over Li Xuerui in three draining sets. Her quarterfinal win over Wang Shixian prompted a veteran commentator to state that it was one of the greatest matches she’s witnessed.

However, at the 2013 edition, Saina goes into her title defence after a prolonged spell of bad form. The Indian hasn’t won a title since October last year. Although she has had some good performances in the early part of this year – reaching the semifinals of the All England and the Swiss Open, she hasn’t quite managed to go all the way. Since March she has played only one tournament – the India Open – where she was shocked in the second round by lightweight Yui Hashimoto, despite holding match point.

She then pulled out of the Sudirman Cup, citing an injury. Seeking to defend the Thailand Open GP Gold last week, Saina had one of her worst defeats ever – a 13-21 21-12 21-18 loss to Gu Juan, ranked 23 in the world, and who had taken only one game off Saina in four previous meetings. Saina had appeared confident early in the tournament, telling the press after her second round win: “It was easy, stepping on the court after one month gap and playing the first match after recovering from the injury, I am satisfied with my performance.”

The last two defeats have been uncharacteristic of Saina. The Indian rarely loses to opponents outside the top-ten, and that has been the defining feature of her game over the last few years. Losses to players like Hashimoto and Gu Juan would undoubtedly have hurt her, and perhaps given her added motivation to turn things around at the Indonesia Open.

The title defence is going to be anything but easy. All the top guns are in the event, including Olympic champion Li Xuerui and 2011 champion Wang Yihan. Saina has a tricky opener up front, against Lindaweni Fanetri of Indonesia. Assuming she wins, she will probably play the talented Japanese youngster Sayaka Takahashi, who has been in good form in recent times. A third round clash with old foe Wang Shixian looks likely. If she should cross these hurdles, the semifinal might be against Juliane Schenk (Ger) or Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe). Saina’s most formidable Chinese opponents, Li Xuerui and Wang Yihan, are in the top half.

She can be assured of vociferous support from the Indonesians. Saina has often talked of how they have taken to her as one of their own. That is one reason the Indian has won three titles here in the last four years, and she will be cheered on lustily once again. If she can perform strongly here, it will give her renewed confidence for the battles ahead.