Saina powers into Thailand Open final

Saina Nehwal

Bangkok: Top seed Saina Nehwal stormed into her second GP Gold final this year, after she beat third seed and local girl Porntip Buranaprasertsuk in the semifinals of the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold on Saturday.Following her disappointing campaign at the India Open, where she lost in the second round, her performance here will give her confidence a fillip. Porntip, last year’s India Open Superseries champion, posed a tough challenge to Saina in the first game, but fell apart in the second game.The Thai shot off to a lead, going ahead at 9-2 and 14-10, but Saina eventually caught up with her at 16. It was a tight battle from then, with both going neck-and-neck. Porntip had one game point at 22-21, but Saina reeled off the next three points to take the game.

She carried forward that momentum into the second, and Porntip had no answer. The Indian was unusually circumspect, delivering just two smash winners to her opponent’s four, but that was enough to get the job done.She will next play another Thai, Ratchanok Inthanon, in the final. Ratchanok, a three-time world junior champion and a future star, justified her second seeding by overcoming former world champion Wang Lin of China, 21-13 21-19. Saina leads their head-to-head 2-1. They have played twice this year, and split the verdict.