The possibility of badminton overtaking cricket in India sounds too remote for anyone propagating such an idea to be taken seriously. However, when the person discussing this possibility happens to be the India distributor of sports major Adidas, it’s obvious that this is not in the realm of idle speculation.

Navendu Jain of Enkay India Rubber Ltd – which has been in the sports goods business for 50 years now – is in charge of distribution of Adidas in India, including its recently-launched badminton equipment. The German company launched its badminton range in India during the India Open. “Badminton has the ability to surpass cricket and football in India,” Jain says. “But that is some distance away.”

The primary advantage with badminton, he says, is that it appeals to both sexes, unlike many other mainstream sports. The other advantage is that beginners require no training to play it as a recreational sport. With several Indians competing in the premier events, and with Saina Nehwal becoming an icon, the sport’s popularity in India has shot up over the last five years or so. The primary question is of infrastructure – the lack of badminton halls. But Jain believes the situation wasn’t different with cricket before India won its first World Cup in 1983. “If you go back 20 years, we didn’t have the number of cricket grounds that we do now,” Jain says. “It was after the 1983 World Cup win that we saw cricketing infrastructure increasing. We see a similar potential in badminton. Badminton in India is in a nascent stage. It’s still growing, and should grow significantly. A lot of avenues are open, and the commercial activity has not started at all.”

One of the drivers of change, he believes, could be the Indian Badminton League. “The IBL will bring the sport to the drawing rooms of the public. Once that happens, the outlook will change. The IBL will bring international players to India, and that will help raise the Indian standard too.”

Adidas formally entered badminton in January this year, after three years of preparations. For the Indian market, the company plans to introduce a full range – from the beginner to the elite level. The German company’s USP is its investment in technology, which Jain says has been leveraged to improve the badminton range. “There are significant changes in technology for rackets, shuttles and other equipment,” Jain explains. “For the racket, you can change its weight on the fly by using add-ons. It’s a patented technology. As for the strings, we are using different thicknesses in the same racket head, like the thickness of the string on the vertical axis will be different from the horizontal axis, and so on.”

The entry of Adidas into badminton does give the Indian badminton community much to look forward to. With several brands now vying for the market share, it’s going to be a happy time for players. Expect frenzied brand activity in the months ahead.

File Photo: Ashwini Ponnappa

It’s been an eventful few weeks for Ashwini Ponnappa. The soft-spoken doubles player had the opportunity of playing with the Asian All Stars in the Axiata Cup. She also became the first Indian to be signed up by well-known international brand Victor.

The Axiata Cup experience, where she was part of the team alongside the accomplished Lee Hyun Il, Bao Chunlai, Zheng Bo, Tai Tzu Ying and Yip Pui Yin, has rubbed off positively on her performance – at the India Open, she and Tarun Kona nearly upset the recent Asian champions Ko Sung Hyun and Kim Ha Na in the first round.

During a brief stopover in Bangalore before leaving for Hyderabad, Ashwini was invited by her coach Tom John to address a visiting group of young players from Pondicherry, and later indulged them in an on-court session.

Ashwini talks to Dev S Sukumar about the recent developments in her badminton life:

How was the experience in addressing the young group from Pondicherry?

It’s the first time I’ve done something like that. Doubles in India is basically considered a  fun thing; few people take it seriously. Most people don’t realise it’s very different from singles. It’s important to know that the drills are different, and that you need to hit hard, down, and defend well… it was good to interact with them. Tom Sir helped me out. We need more interactions like that.

How has your approach to the game changed over the years?

In the Indian circuit, anytime you hit a good smash, it’s an easy point. But at the international level, everyone’s watching your game, and everyone’s evolving. You can’t be happy with just a good smash. You have to be good all-round, have heart, and be patient from the back of the court. My smash is still my strong point. I still love to hit, but I’ve been working on other areas as well. I’ve been trying to get better at the net. Tom Sir has helped me with many drills. He tells me simple but effective things, like to keep the racket up all the time, or to follow a smash to the net.

Was it difficult when you changed partners, considering Jwala had her own unique skills that made you both such an effective combination?

It was fantastic to be able to play with Jwala. She was very gutsy and naturally talented, and she was good at analysing opponents and match situations. She gave me the confidence to believe that we can be better than we think.

It was a bit challenging after I changed partners. When I was with Jwala, she would take the lead and I would follow. Now (with Pradnya), I take the lead a bit because I have a little bit more international experience than her. We both need to get more experience playing the top pairs. Jwala was the senior partner; now I need to take the lead, get to analyse. I do miss a few things about Jwala. She was always confident… but Pradnya is very good too, and I see myself doing well with her.

Should Indians stick to a particular style in doubles, or is it up to each pair?

It’s different (for different pairs). We have different specialities, like Pradnya Gadre and Aparna Balan are very good at the net; Jwala too is brilliant at the net. The approach to the game varies.

In India, in women’s doubles, it’s either long rallies or quick points due to mistakes. The pace of international players is very high. We get used to that when we play at that level. Their approach to the game is different: the way they train, their fitness – everything is different. They have specialised training for doubles; they have so many expert coaches for each category, and high level of sparring, which we don’t have. But we’re getting there.

Diju and Jwala are so naturally talented… they reached the highest level. They’re smart players on court and so naturally gifted. In India, we have to work at it ourselves. Each of us has a different approach. You need to have confidence and aim high. That’s what I learnt from Jwala.

Women’s doubles is about consistency. I’ve loved my smash; I loved it as a kid. You can hit all you want, but your opponents will keep on defending it. At the international level, not all players hit hard; it’s more about smart play, about working the angles. It’s about the angles of your strokes so as to catch opponents on the wrong foot.

How was the Axiata Cup experience?

It was fun, but it was serious at the same time. In team events like the Sudirman Cup, you stick to your own national team, you hardly get to speak to other players. But the Axiata Cup gave me a chance to make friends from other countries – I enjoyed every bit of it, and I learnt a lot. My teammates were very sweet. It was surprising to see them support us even when we lost – they didn’t get angry or upset.

Badminton finally decided to embrace technology for contentious line decisions, opting for a new system that allows players two challenges per match.

The Badminton World Federation, which has promised to implement the system following the examples of sports such as tennis, announced that the new system would come into effect at the Indonesia Open Superseries in June. The Sudirman Cup (world mixed team championships) later this month will be used as a test event.

The player must issue the challenge immediately after the line call has been made, and before the commencement of the serve for the next rally. A player/pair should clearly state ‘challenge’ to the umpire and signal their request by raising their hand/arm simultaneously.

Both singles and doubles players will be allowed two challenges per match on line calls. They can challenge either the original line call or the umpire overrule. If the review shows that the player was right, he will retain two challenges. If the player’s first challenge is proven to be wrong, he will have one challenge remaining.

However, the system will be implemented only on TV courts. Courts without TV coverage will not be able to implement it, since the umpire determining the validity of the players’ challenge will use ultra slow motion instant replay, rather than a predictive system of the shuttle’s trajectory.

A statement from BWF said the system “comprises ultra slow motion cameras down the court lines which are sending images to a control position near the referee… On a signal from the umpire, the operator will display the images to the referee…He/she will then decide to uphold the line judges’/umpire’s decision or overturn it.”

BWF Deputy President Paisan Rangsikitpho was quoted as saying the system would give players “confidence that they can instigate change if they believe they have received a poor decision from on-court officials”.

A demonstration of the instant review system will be held during the BWF Sudirman Cup 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, though the challenge option will not be in effect for players.

PV Sindhu’s maiden Grand Prix Gold title is in keeping with her rising status as the best Indian prospect since Saina Nehwal. With a GP Gold title in her bag, her sights will be on the titles that only one other Indian women’s singles player has won: the Superseries.

The Malaysian title victory could catapult her into the top-ten, leading to the astounding reality of two Indians in the top-ten of the women’s singles rankings – an undreamed-of prospect just six or seven years ago!

Until her Malaysia GP Gold victory, Sindhu’s best was the Swiss International in October 2011. The Indian, though, has come close to winning other important titles. At the Syed Modi GPG late last year, seeded second, she lost unexpectedly in the final to Lindaweni Fanetri.

Sindhu has been in the limelight back from 2009 or so. Her performances on the junior national circuit, followed by some impressive victories overseas, have convinced people of her potential. The Indian has steadily climbed up the ladder, and it was always going to be a question of when, rather than if. This year could well be her breakthrough year on the senior international circuit.

After some impressive performances in the second half of 2012 – including a memorable win of the Asian Juniors, Sindhu began the year on a sedate note. She fell in the early rounds of her first four events, breaking into form only this month, at the Badminton Asia Championships, where she beat the third-seeded Wang Shixian in three tough sets.

At the India Open, her sensational form continued. With back-to-back victories over two emerging Chinese players (Yao Xue and Sun Yu), and a rout of Saina Nehwal’s conqueror Yui Hashimoto in the quarters, Sindhu was able to draw the crowds to Siri Fort Stadium on semifinals day. Although she did lose that semifinal to eventual winner Ratchanok Intanon, her performance through the week signalled that – for the moment at least – she was riding on the crowd’s support, rather than burdened by it.

Unlike Saina, who has been below her best at the three editions of the India Open Superseries, Sindhu seems to thrive in home conditions. At this very event last year, she blew past Taipei prodigy Tai Tzu Ying and eighth seed Sung Ji Hyun, before losing a tough match to fourth seed Jiang Yanjiao of China in the quarterfinals. This year too, she appeared cheerful from the beginning, confident of her chances against dangerous players, and proving she wasn’t solely dependent on her steep smashes and long reach to win her points. Against the two tall Chinese, she showed plenty of tactical innovations and subtlety of shots at the net. It is the confidence of the India Open that she carried into the Malaysia Open, justifying her top-seed status.

She first beat Chen Jiayuan (Singapore) in three games, Cheung Ngan Yi (HK), also in three, before easing past Hera Desi (Indonesia) in the quarters and Sapsiree (Thailand) in the semis, both in straight games. The title was won over Gu Juan (Singapore) despite trailing 7-13 and 10-15 in the third game.

Sindhu: Recent performances:

Semifinals: India Open Superseries (April 2013)

Quarters: Asian Championships (April 2013)

Runner-up: Syed Modi International GP Gold (December 2012)

Semifinals: China Masters Superseries (September 2012)

Winner: Asian Junior Championships (July 2012)

P.V. Sindhu of India pictured here during the Badminton Indian Open against Japan’s Hasimoto at Siri Fort Sports complex on April 26, 2013 in New Delhi. (Getty Images)

India’s PV Sindhu and Guru Sai Dutt entered the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open GP Gold on Thursday, but their compatriots K Srikanth and Sameer Verma bowed out.

Sindhu faced some trouble from Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong as she lost the first game in quick time, but the Indian, now ranked No.15, bounced back. From 12-all in the second game, she steadily piled on the pressure and jumped to 18-13. Although Cheung fought to within a couple of points, Sindhu closed out the game and was unchallenged in the decider, as she won 11-21 21-18 21-10.

The top seed faces seventh seed Hera Desi of Indonesia for a place in the semi-finals.

Guru Sai Dutt was equally impressive in a straight-games victory over Riichi Takeshita of Japan. The match was close all through, but the Indian was able to use his superior experience to hold off his Japanese challenger. Takeshita came close at 14-15 in the first game, but Guru Sai managed to keep ahead by a couple of points to win the first game. In the second, the Indian had to claw back from 10-15 down and won eight straight points from 13-16 to seal the match 21-19 21-16.

However, his compatriot K Srikanth, who caused a major upset last week by beating top-ten player Jan O Jorgensen in the first round of the India Open, could not match French Open champion Daren Liew of Malaysia. The Indian managed to save three match points in the second game from 17-20 down, but could not sustain the momentum as Liew beat him 21-17 22-20.

Sameer Verma too gave a good account of himself before falling to Chan Yan Kit of Hong Kong, 21-15 21-19. The second game was very tight, with Verma drawing level from a 12-16 deficit to tie the score at 19, before Chan edged past to take the match.

India’s P.V. Sindhu in action against Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand at the India Open Badminton Tournament on April 27, 2013 in New Delhi, India. (Getty Images)

Buoyed by their performances at the home India Open Superseries, several Indian shuttlers moved up the rankings.

In the latest ranking list issued by Badminton World Federation, India Open semifinalist PV Sindhu moved into the top-15 for the first time in her career. Sindhu jumped up one place from her ranking of No.16.

While her compatriot Saina Nehwal remained at No.2 following her second round exit at the India Open, the men’s singles players jumped up by a place or two. Parupalli Kashyap, despite his disappointing loss to Taufik Hidayat in the first round, moved ahead by one place into No.6. Ajay Jayaram remained at No.30, but Guru Sai Dutt, who made the quarterfinals at the India Open, climbed by two spots into No.33.

Similarly, Sourabh Verma too moved up by two places into No.36. The other gainers were India Open semifinalist Anand Pawar (two places up, to No.53), K Srikanth (one place up to No.63) and Arvind Bhat (two places up, to No.82). Among those whose spots remained unchanged were Sai Praneeth (No.62) and HS Prannoy (No.76).

In the paired events, Tarun Kona/Arun Vishnu were unchanged at No.42 (men’s doubles), while Pranaav Chopra/Akshay Dewalkar moved up by one spot into No.48.

In women’s doubles, Aparna Balan/Sikki Reddy are at No.52, while Pradnya Gadre/Ashwini Ponnappa moved up eight spots into No.60.

In mixed doubles, Tarun Kona/Ashwini Ponnappa are India’s highest-ranked pair at No.26, followed by V Diju/Jwala Gutta (No.49) and Arun Vishnu/ Aparna Balan at No.50.

Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Ziha: The young Chinese duo on the rise.

There was an air of inevitability with which Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan lifted the men’s doubles title at the India Open on Sunday.

Mark those names, they will be around a long time.

The Chinese duo has had a meteoric rise over the last couple of years, and now they’re playing as well as anyone in the world. The India Open offered further evidence: a comfortable win over world No. 1 Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen in the quarterfinals before answering all the questions that world No.3 Lee Yong Dae/Ko Sung Hyun threw at them in the final.

The young Chinese duo added the India Open to the All England they won in March, and by the look of things, they are slowly but surely stepping into the shoes of their illustrious seniors, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng.

It might be premature to compare the two teams, for Cai and Fu are among the legends of men’s doubles badminton – five World Championships crowns, an Olympic gold, and more trophies than they can remember. The one obvious similarity is that Qiu and Liu are, like Cai and Fu, a left-right combination, which gives them a big advantage. Like all top pairs, Qiu and Liu have shown adeptness in the essentials of doubles play: sustained periods of big hitting, solid defence; ability to convert a defensive position into an attacking one, and an uncanny ability to suddenly press ahead from deadlocked situations.

But there is another reason they might be on top soon, and that can be discerned from the way they carry themselves: there’s a certain swagger about them, a certain raw confidence that makes one believe they are the team for the immediate future.

What they will have to battle is inconsistency: they have beaten some top pairs, but they’ve also suffered early-round losses; after winning the Thailand Open last year, they had three straight first-round losses. Still, there is no doubt that the graph has shot up this season: quarterfinals at the Korea Open and Asian Championships, semi-finals at Malaysia, finals at Germany, and two Superseries titles – All England and India Open, in the first four months. Quite impressively, they already have a 3-0 head-to-head record over No.1 pair Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen, and a 2-2 record against the in-form duo of Lee Yong Dae/Ko Sung Hyun. Their only problems have been against Malaysians Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong, against whom they are 0-6 down, losing all but one of those matches in straight games.

Liu and Qiu radiate youthfulness and exuberance, and they like a bit of showmanship as well. If badminton goes the truly professional way, with players as independent icons outside the narrow identities of their national federations, the two can become global stars. Will they fulfil that destiny or fade into oblivion like so many other talented Chinese players?

File Photo: Thomas Lund, COO, Badminton World Federation.

Thomas Lund, Chief Operations Officer of Badminton World Federation, is more than just an important functionary in a rapidly-growing sport. He was one of the doubles greats of the nineties, with two World Championships (1993 and 1995), three All England titles, and a number of other major trophies in both the paired events. In this interview, Lund talks about the state of world badminton in the months after the London Olympics, and the rise of Indian badminton:

Do you see any connection between the economy and the growth of badminton? Especially in Europe, where the slowdown is more pronounced and might affect talent development?

As a business, I think we’ve been fortunate to have some of our key markets in Asia, because the slowdown has not been as big in Asian region as in the European region. Frankly, we have seen a tremendous growth in terms of revenues, and a tremendous business success behind the sport over the last years with the structural changes we’ve made around the sport. But we hope it will turn around in the European and US region. Maybe it would have been bigger if the slowdown had not happened. We haven’t really experienced a drop; we’ve experienced a big growth, but maybe it could have been more, who knows.

Are you worried about the lack of singles talent in Europe, considering that there only one or two in the top-20?

I’m not too worried. Things go up and down in any country. I know there are solid development systems in many countries. These countries might be low right now, but they will come up with players. Developing players is not something you do over night; it’s a long term thing, where you need to work in a system.

There is talk of the Indian Badminton League. How much of an impact do you think it will have on international badminton?

Leagues in general have existed for many years. National leagues are the backbone of development system, and have grown up from the grassroots to a commercial level. The process here is probably a bit different…but it will probably spread the popularity of the sport. Leagues are used as a national element to create a backbone and stability around the sport. They certainly have a place in our sport. It is obviously about creating a model that can fit well into the international tournament system. I don’t think leagues can replace the international individual system of the major events.

What has been your experience with propagating badminton in the US?

We’re continuing to make efforts. We’re working both top-down and bottom-up, which means we’re focussing on advising countries on setting up top performance systems. But also we’re trying to get badminton into schools, making it something that’s natural in the day-to-to activities of people. Those two things should hopefully create a strong base for the sport in any country. We have Rio (Olympics) coming up, so we obviously are looking at South America.

We’ve done a lot in terms of how we work with streaming media. One of the regions we get most hits from is from that region, from the American region, Canada and the US. So we’re trying to spread the sport. We’ve had broadcast agreements over the last couple of years.

Have you been able to attract the younger generation through the online medium?

The online medium has worked well. It doesn’t beat the broadcast media in terms of reach, but it’s a great supplement, obviously in regions with lesser players. We’d like to get the attention of the youth into badminton. So we’re reaching new audiences, and the youth is important to us in these new territories.

Your opinion of Indian badminton at the moment?

Amazing development. We have some interesting statistics, that badminton is no.3 in terms of TV interest in this country. Obviously we know cricket is so popular in this country, and for badminton to come to no.3 among so many sports, it’s a really big improvement and connected to Saina’s popularity. And not only Saina. Other women’s singles and men’s singles players are coming up, and it proves that the development system is able to produce good players. It’s a positive development. Hopefully Saina will be there for a few years to come.

India’s hopes of fielding a finalist at the India Open Superseries were dashed as both Anand Pawar and PV Sindhu lost their semifinal matches today.

While Pawar could not find a way past the wiles of Kenichi Tago of Japan in the men’s singles, PV Sindhu was outclassed by an aggressive Ratchanok Intanon 21-12 21-6. In the other semifinals, Lee Chong Wei scored his 11th straight win over Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand, while Germany’s Juliane Schenk survived a tough encounter against Aprilla Yusawandari of Indonesia.

After a great run here that has seen her beat two Chinese opponents and the Japanese conqueror of Saina Nehwal, Sindhu was expected to run Intanon close. Moreover, Intanon had struggled in earlier matches, most notably in the semifinal against Sindhu’s compatriot Arundhati Pantwane.

It was a different Intanon who took to the court today. Unlike her previous match, where she appeared tentative, she was ruthlessly decisive today. She pounced on every offering, smashing to Sindhu’s flanks, where the lanky girl struggled to retrieve. What made the difference was of course Ratchanok’s range of strokes that kept Sindhu’s off-balance throughout.

The Indian appeared to match her opponent in the early part, but the difference became apparent after 9-all. Intanon sent the shuttle where she willed, had Sindhu scrambling to retrieve, and then fired into vacant spaces.

The Indian did not look too disheartened after the match. “I think it was close in the early part of the match,” she said. “I played well in the beginning, but I made a lot of errors. My tosses were going mid-court, and she could smash them. Once she took a lead in the second game, I could not come back. I’m happy with my tournament, reaching the semifinals, but I wish I could’ve played better.”

Earlier, Pawar too could not quite live up to the day’s expectations. Tago controlled the pace and flow, and Pawar was unable to get into rhythm. The Indian did match the Japanese in some parts of the match, but the sum total wasn’t sufficient. “Tago played a clever game,” conceded Pawar. “The shuttle was slower today, and I didn’t realise it. I should’ve done my homework. I was pushing to the back in earlier matches, but today that didn’t work. Still, I’m happy with the way I’ve played my tournament.”

Lee Chong Wei, meanwhile, played way below his level for the first two games, but managed to lift his game in the third to breeze past Ponsana. This was Lee’s 11th successive win over the Thai, who had no answers to the pace and craft of the Malaysian in the third game. The world No.1 is in his third straight India Open final, and will hope to regain the title he won in 2011.

A day after Saina Nehwal was upset by Yui Hashimoto of Japan after holding three match points, PV Sindhu showed how efficiently the job could be done. The young Indian ruthlessly disposed of Saina’s conqueror to reach the India Open semifinals today.

The Indian was superior in all departments of the game, expertly dismantling Hashimoto’s challenge with an intelligent mix. Sindhu, nearly a foot taller and possessing steep attacking strokes, showed plenty of craft to prevent Hashimoto from getting close. The Indian dominated exchanges from early in the match, and unsettled Hashimoto with her deep clears to either corner of the baseline, while also showing soft hands up front near the net.

The Indian was so dominant that she piled on point after point until the first game looked a formality. With a lead of 19-7, Hashimoto looked down and out, but suddenly she began a great fightback. The Japanese inched closer, winning the next nine points to suddenly remind everyone that she was capable of doing to Sindhu what she had done to Saina a day earlier. Sindhu too began to look desperate, and as Hashimoto came within three points, she appeared rattled.

However, after a long rally, Hashimoto finally played the shuttle into the net, and Sindhu screamed in delight. The next point was won quickly.

The confidence of having won the first rubbed off on her, and she was even more dominant in the second. The steep smashes honed in with deadly accuracy. As the match wore on Sindhu was in her zone, winning as she pleased. The 21-16 21-16 verdict gives her a place in a Superseries semifinal for the second time, after the China Masters last year.

Earlier in the day, Arundhati Pantwane provided surprising resistance to All England finalist Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand. Pantwane even managed to win the first game and troubled Intanon through the match, which the Thai eventually managed to wriggle out of. “It’s a good result,” said coach Pullela Gopichand. “Arundhati has some way to go, she needs to hit harder, but she played very well today.”

Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba in action during the London Olympics.

The first two days of the India Open was dominated by the Taufik Hidayat story. The great Indonesian is in the home stretch of his career and it was hardly a surprise to see him getting knocked out in the second round by India’s HS Prannoy. Hidayat’s ability to last a long match has been suspect over the last two seasons at least, and while that might make him appear to be a senior statesman, he is in fact only 32.

Badminton players generally seem to peak between 24 and 28, and Taufik’s career follows that script. But there are some who defy the limits of age. Peter Gade was one. Another, who isn’t quite as celebrated, is Robert Mateusiak of Poland, who at 37, is world No.10 in mixed doubles.

Mateusiak’s is one of the most unusual stories in badminton. Coming from a country with little badminton tradition, he and partner Nadiezda Zieba have remained among the elite of world badminton for close to a decade, even rising to World No. 1 briefly. At the London Olympics, they almost had their finest moment – holding match point to the formidable Chinese pair Xu Chen/Ma Jin – before falling in the quarterfinals.

As a kid, he was keen about football. His foray into badminton started when a coach arrived at his school to introduce the kids to badminton. “I liked many sports,” says Mateusiak. “But once I played badminton, I kept on playing.”

In contrast to most other pairs, the Polish duo has become better with age. Their most memorable moment in their long career came at the European Championships last year, when they won gold for the first time. “It was an amazing feeling,” says Mateusiak. “We had lost twice in the finals, and so it was special for us because we had injury for two months at the beginning of this year. And the European gold helped us qualify for the Olympics. So it was amazing feeling.”

At the Olympics, they nearly bounced one of the favourites, Xu Chen and Ma Jin, out in the quarterfinals. Unluckily for them, they couldn’t convert match point, and Xu Chen and Ma Jin went on to reach the final. Recalling the moment, Mateusiak says: “We had match point at 21-20, so it was really really close. Anyway, we played an amazing tournament, it was our best Olympics. Badminton wasn’t well known in Poland earlier, but a lot of people saw our match live on TV and they know more about us now. We got a lot of support when we went back.”

What is most impressive about Mateusiak and Zieba is that despite having no quality sparring partners the way Asian countries have, they have managed to remain in the top-10 for so long. “We don’t have good sparring partners for mixed doubles, but we have good doubles players,” says Mateusiak. “We have one young pair, but we also play the Danish league over few years, so it’s good sparring for us. We just go to play a match and then we go back to Warsaw to the training centre.”

Although he is 37 – considered ‘old’ by badminton standards — Mateusiak is still enthused by the game and wants to carry on. “I’ve had a long career. I still enjoy playing. The focus this year is for the World Championships. I have some special (training) programmes, and I practise every day, but not like before. The quality of practice is more important, and to keep my level right now. As long as I can maintain (my level), I will continue.”

What is it with the India Open Superseries and Saina Nehwal? The Indian icon failed again to progress past the early rounds, falling to a relatively unknown Japanese in the second round today. Yui Hashimoto disposed off the top seed 13-21 21-12 22-20.

Last year, having lost unexpectedly, Saina was so tearful that she could only mumble an apology to the waiting press. This year she had a few more words, blaming a line call on match point for her loss.

The line call came with Saina having three match points, 20-17 in the third game. Hashimoto drilled a down-the-line smash that was called in, and which Saina furiously protested. The chair umpire refused to change the call. Saina still had two match points.

Hashimoto saved the second as well; on her third match point the top seed smashed a high serve wide. Hashimoto then drew Saina to the net and killed the reply to gain match point. She didn’t need another chance to convert.

“I was upset with the line call,” said Saina. “I just didn’t find my rhythm after that. I couldn’t control the points. The points went by so quickly I didn’t have time to think. I don’t know why I’m not able to do well at the India Open.”

She also had praise for her opponent, whom she described as a “fighter”.

Ironically, the day had been near-perfect for India, with five Indians entering the men’s singles quarterfinals, and two in the women’s singles quarterfinals. With Saina winning the first game comfortably, it looked like a charmed day for India. But Hashimoto slowly got her way back in, giving glimpses of a promising player. Quick, hard-hitting and covering the court well, the Japanese girl shut Saina out in the second game and kept level for most of the third set until Saina earned the lead at 20-17. It was to Hashimoto’s credit that she kept the faith despite all the support for Saina, and won the next five points. Yui Hashimoto versus PV Sindhu in the quarterfinals might be another interesting match.

Earlier, Anand Pawar scored his biggest win, nailing third seed Hu Yun of Hong Kong 21-15 15-21 21-10. Pawar will play compatriot Ajay Jayaram in the quarters; Jayaram had a quick victory over Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka of Indonesia. “I wanted to win the first game because it was the good side,” said Pawar, referring to the drift. “I tried until midway in the second, and then played for the third game. He wasn’t comfortable with my flat game, so I was able to catch him a few times. Ultimately, it’s about how you play on the day that counts.”

A topsy-turvy match went Sai Praneeth’s way as the young Indian joined compatriots Guru Sai Dutt and HS Prannoy in the quarterfinals of the India Open.

Having lost the first game to Iskandar Zulkarnain of Malaysia, Praneeth led comfortably at 19-11 and 20-13 in the second game. That’s when old demons returned.

“I’ve lost a lot of matches while leading at 19 or 20,” Praneeth said later. “As he (Zulkarnain) got one point after another, the pressure became too much.”

The Malaysian kept reducing the deficit until he was 21-20, match point. It was at this moment that Praneeth, having squandered six game points, dug in and changed the tide. The Malaysian would have a total of five match points, but Praneeth used all his resolve to stay in the match and eventually win the second game. The decider was a formality, for Iskandar was spent.

“I was in a hurry to finish it off,” said Praneeth, of the big lead he had in the second game. “He played without pressure, and as he kept coming close, I just didn’t know what I was doing. But even though I lost many points, I didn’t get irritated with myself. If I had, I would’ve lost the match right there.”

Shortly before that, his India teammate HS Prannoy won a dream second round match against Taufik Hidayat, 26-24 21-9. The Indian stayed alert all through, kept Taufik away from the net, and smashed at every opportunity to stay level with the Indonesian. Once he clinched a close first set, the match was his for the taking, for Taufik just didn’t have the stamina or resolve to stay in the match.

“If you see my backhand, it’s quite good, and it’s something I picked after watching Taufik’s videos,” said Prannoy. “He’s someone I’ve idolised, so it’s a dream to play him. I knew his stamina wasn’t good, and I knew I had to win the first game. I had to keep him away from the net, and play on his forehand side, because he has more variations on the backhand.”

Earlier, Guru Sai Dutt made quick work of K Srikanth, who had upset fourth seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark in the first round. Guru triumphed 21-12 21-16 in 33 minutes.

File Photo: P V Sindhu (Getty Images)

The top Chinese have stayed away from the India Open – but in two of their women’s singles players –Yu Sun and Yao Xue – they are readying their next generation of top level competitors.

Thus, when PV Sindhu took on Sun Yu, a day after dismantling the challenge of Yao Xue, it was very much a battle of the next generation of badminton stars. Just as she had done on Wednesday, she used skill and intelligence in equal measure to outplay Sun Yu and enter the quarterfinals of the India Open. Sindhu won 19-21 21-19 21-15.

More importantly, she had struck a telling blow for India. The Chinese won’t be excessively worried, but they will be concerned. They have Sindhu in their sights, especially since she beat Wang Shixian at the Asian Championships last week. Today, Yao Xue was seen video recording Sindhu’s match – no doubt it will be analysed once they return.

Like the other top Chinese women’s singles players, Yu Sun is of formidable height – towering around the 6-ft mark, and so it was a battle of physically similar opponents. Yu Sun possesses a whippy smash like most other tall players, and she put that to good use. The game was close for the most part, but Sun had the marginal advantage, and when Sindhu sent a wild smash wide on game point, it looked like she had a long way to climb back.

What followed was a fascinating tactical battle. Keen to prevent the Chinese from using her big smashes, Sindhu constantly forced Sun to run diagonally, playing soft and avoiding the full-blooded hit unless presented with an opportunity. Faced with the lack of open hitting opportunities, the Chinese invariably committed an error during the rallies. Two perfect net shots by the Indian helped her lead and a final smash into the net by Sun gave Sindhu the game.

The chess game continued into the third, with both matching each other shot for shot. Towards the home stretch, it was Sindhu who managed to keep her focus, playing steady and without error to put the pressure on the Chinese. Two smashes gave her match point and she duly converted with ease.

Other Indians in action early on the day – V Diju/Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa/Pradnya Gadre – fell in contrasting styles. While Diju and Jwala were outplayed by the veteran Thai pair of Sudket/Saralee, Ponnappa and Gadre had their chances against the Japanese duo of Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi, but lost 21-14 20-22 21-12.

Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu won their opening round matches of the India Open Superseries in contrasting styles at the Siri Fort Stadium on Wednesday.

In the post-noon session of an excellent day for India, Nehwal wasn’t too troubled by Indonesia’s Belaetrix Manuputi as she shut her out in 33 minutes. Sindhu, taking on the fast-improving Yao Xue of China, was made to sweat, but still came through 17-21 21-18 21-14.

But the most stunning result of the day was young K Srikanth’s three-game defeat of fourth seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark. Srikanth’s 21-7 18-21 21-12 in the morning session provided plenty of momentum for the rest of his compatriots. Among those who followed him to the second round were Guru Sai Dutt, HS Prannoy, Ajay Jayaram, and Sai Praneeth. In the paired events, V Diju and Jwala Gutta made it to the next round, but Tarun Kona and Ashwini Ponnappa were unlucky to lose a tight three-setter to the recently-crowned Asian champions.

Nehwal had little problems against Manuputi, leading 19-6 in the first game before easing her foot off the pedal and allowing the Indonesian to get into double figures. The second game was closer, but after the midway point the Indian powered ahead.

“She is a talented player,” said Nehwal. “She was very tricky. I was ready for some of her strokes, and scored points with my smashes.” Saina said her long rest after the All England had helped heal a troubled knee.

Shortly after Saina sealed her place in the second round, compatriot PV Sindhu was faced with a difficult opponent. Yao Xue of China is very much in the mould of her senior compatriots like Wang Yihan and Li Xuerui – standing around 6 ft tall, lean and whippy, she fired one winner after another to put Sindhu under severe pressure in the first game.

But the lanky Indian, who scored a memorable win over the formidable Chinese Wang Shixian at the Asian Championships last week, scripted a turnaround. “My coach told me to get aggressive,” she said, “He asked me to shout out a bit more, and that helped.”

Sindhu turned the tide with some clever badminton; using the flicks and soft shots to throw Yao Xue off rhythm. The match was won, and another Chinese awaits her: Sun Yu. Asked about her potential quarterfinal against Saina, Sindhu laughed. “I want to take it one match at a time,” she said. “I have to think about the second round first, before thinking of the quarterfinal.”

Just four tournaments ago, playing the first round of the Syed Modi International in Lucknow, defending champion Taufik Hidayat was bundled out by Indian teenager Pratul Joshi.

That was about as bad as it could get for Taufik, the former World and Olympic champion, who was on the last leg of his illustrious international career. Over the last year, he had fallen sharply from the pinnacle – while he was once No.1, he would slide to No.26 coming into the India Open.

On Wednesday, facing India’s P Kashyap, who is in the prime of his career, not many gave Taufik a chance. The Indian was obviously younger, fitter and stronger; even if Taufik could bring his famed strokeplay into the picture, Kashyap was likely to outlast him.

For most of the first round match on Wednesday, the match followed the script. Taufik was playing his pretty shots, but Kashyap was winning the rallies. The Indonesian’s greatest weapon throughout his career has been his control at the net, but Kashyap was outplaying him even in his favourite area. On a couple of points, Taufik stood still as Kashyap seemed to fox him with his trick shots.

The first game was over 21-13, and it looked a matter of time before Kashyap was done and dusted with the match.

But then the match turned – imperceptibly at first. Taufik began to ‘flow’ – the shots just kept coming from all angles, frustrating the fitter Indian into errors on the final stroke. Kashyap saved two game points, had one of his own, but then played a weak shot into the net. Taufik was onto him in a flash. That was the opening he sought, and another Kashyap error gave him game point. Then he played a shot that nobody in the audience had seen – virtually twisting the shuttle from under the net to leave Kashyap flummoxed.

By the third game, the support for Taufik had grown loud, and the Indonesian would admit to be surprised. “I thought, playing an Indian here, the crowd would be against me,” he said. “But I heard a lot of people cheering for me. This is why I love playing in India.”

The former World Champion had found his groove, and the match became a riveting affair. Taufik once again found his magic touch at the net, coaxing the shuttle over the cord, again and again, until Kashyap was flailing at it in despair. To his credit, the Indian hadn’t played a bad match – perhaps his only error was in not closing it out in the second game when he had a glimmer of an opportunity. Taufik’s confidence grew, and the impossible shots were back – a range of backhand shots; shuttles that died off the tape; flicks and drives that kept flowing.

It was again tight until 18. Kashyap played two weak shots that gave Taufik match point. And then again, on match point, he played a delectably soft net shot that caught the Indian short. The 13-21 23-21 21-18 result was Taufik’s seventh-straight win over Kashyap. It was an unusual performance, from an unusual champion. Taufik showed why, despite being in the evening of his career, and a body that perhaps doesn’t follow every command, he can still make his racket talk.

“What can I say,” sighed Kashyap. “He just got better in the end.”

Veterans Arvind Bhat and Chetan Anand proved they were still among the best players in the country by qualifying for the main draw of the India Open Superseries. Both Anand and Bhat prevailed over younger opponents in qualifying round matches today.

Bhat won a close first round against Pisit Poodchalat of Thailand 22-20 21-19 before outplaying compatriot Aditya Prakash 20-22 21-14 21-18 in the second round.

However, Bhat’s close friend and contemporary Anup Sridhar could not make it past the second qualifying round. Sridhat beat Academy-mate Mohit Kamat 21-11 21-12 but was dealt the same treatment by Prannoy HS, who beat him 21-17 21-14. Prannoy will play Suppanyu of Thailand in the first round.

Chetan Anand, recognised as the most complete Indian strokeplayer of his generation, has had a rough time over the last couple of years due to injury. He gave Abhimanyu Singh no chance in his first round match, winning 21-17 21-12. The second round was expected to be tougher, for he would be running into one of India’s brightest young prospects, Sameer Verma.

Undeterred, Anand held off his younger compatriot in the first game, saving three game points to win 22-20. Although he lost the second, he proved too good for Verma in the end, shooting from 9-all to 14-11 and then 20-11. For his efforts, Anand will be rewarded with a first round match against Sourabh Verma, while Arvind Bhat takes on Kenichi Tago of Japan.

Subhankar Dey, who trains at Tom’s Badminton Academy, came through two tough qualifying rounds, beating Rohit Yadav and Oscar Bansal in three games.

In women’s singles, former national champion Trupti Murgunde joined Rituparna Das, Saili Rane and Ruthvika Shivani into the main draw. Murgunde had to dig deep to outlast Riya Pillai. After losing the second game 21-8, Murgunde won a close battle in the decider, to prevail 21-14 8-21 21-18. She had comparatively lesser trouble against Anastasia Chervaykova of Russia, whom she beat 21-19 21-19.

Ruthvika Shivani, who is one of the most talented youngsters in her category, faced some trouble against Mudra Dhainje, but she prevailed in three games. Varsha Belawadi posed little trouble for her as she won easily, 21-11 21-11.

Among those who qualified in men’s doubles were: Kiran Kumar B/Anilraju M and Chaitanya Reddy/Santosh Ravuri.

Kashyap Parupalli, pictured here during the All England Open Badminton Championships, has asserted himself as the country’s best player over the last couple of years. (Getty Images)

The attention at the India Open Superseries will be on Saina Nehwal, P Kashyap and PV Sindhu, but a bunch of other Indian players will be hoping to steal the limelight at Siri Fort Stadium.

The qualifying rounds that begin on Tuesday will give an indication of the depth of the country’s badminton talent. Indian badminton has transitioned – a new generation has established itself. At the head of the new pack is P Kashyap, who has asserted himself as the country’s best player over the last couple of years. The likes of Anup Sridhar, Chetan Anand and Arvind Bhat in singles are trying to reassert themselves, and it will be interesting to see whether they can recapture their past glories at the biggest event in India. The three are in the qualifying draw, and they will face some searching questions from younger players.

The men’s singles in particular will be intensely fought, and the four who qualify to the main draw will give us an idea of the transition that has happened. Twelve of the 16 in the men’s singles qualifying draw are from India, and it will assume the contours of mini-national tournament. Among those expecting to qualify will be the top seed (in qualifying) K Srikanth, who has a difficult first round lined up against Sameer Verma. Verma, younger brother of Sourabh, has had some injury problems over the last few months, and the India Open will give him an opportunity to test himself.

Srikanth and Verma find themselves in the same quarter as Abhimanyu Singh and Chetan Anand. The expected clash between Srikanth and Chetan Anand in the second round could be fascinating – will the wily Chetan prove that his skills can measure up to the youngster, or will Srikanth prove that Chetan’s time is past? Of course, that situation might not even materialise if Sameer Verma and Abhimanyu Singh get the better of their opponents in the first round.

The third quarter has Pisit Poodchalat (Thailand), Arvind Bhat, Aditya Prakash (both India) and Iskandar Zulkarnain (Malaysia). Arvind Bhat hasn’t done badly in recent months – he reached the quarterfinals of the New Zealand Open last week – and will fancy his chances of making the main draw.

The last quarter looks just as interesting. Mohit Kamat and Anup Sridhar – both from Tom John’s Academy – are drawn to play each other in the first round, while HS Prannoy takes on Vladimir Malkov of Russia. Both matches could be too tough to call.

The women’s singles qualifying draws aren’t as competitive as the men’s, but there’s plenty of talent on view. The top seed is Sayali Gokhale, who has spent the last few months in the Swedish league, while also playing some of the smaller tournaments on the European circuit. Another player worth looking out for would be Ruthvika Shivani, the youngster from Gopichand’s academy, who has performed well on the junior national circuit.

The men’s doubles qualifying draw however bears a lean look, since most of the better Indian pairs have made it to the main draw.

Danish legend Erland Kops, winner of a then-unprecedented seven All England singles titles, was honoured by Badminton Europe on Sunday, becoming the first entrant to its Hall of Fame.

Kops was among those recognised at Badminton Europe’s first Player Awards that were awarded at a gala in Sheraton Hotel, Bratislava, Slovakia. The BEC Player Awards were meant to recognise the achievements and contributions of players to European badminton. Kops was the most dominant player of the 1960s, winning tournaments in Europe and Asia with equal ease. He was equally accomplished as a doubles player, winning four All England doubles titles out of a total of seven finals.

Quite remarkably, he reached the finals playing with three different partners, of which he was most successful with Henning Borch, with whom he won three straight titles. The 1960s was thus the era of Erland Kops, as he also figured in eight singles finals at the All England. After losing to Eddy Choong in the 1957 final, he was nearly unbeatable over the next decade, winning all seven finals he figured in.

For the inaugural awards, players were judged by their performances during the previous year. More than 10,000 people from all over the world voted via Badminton Europe’s website (www.badmintoneurope.com) or the official Facebook page. Additionally, every national coach of the 51 member associations of Badminton Europe had a vote which was multiplied five times.

The Danish men’s doubles team of Carsten Mogensen and Mathias Boe won the Best Male Player of the Year 2012, while Germany’s Juliane Schenk won the Best Female Player of the Year. Boe and Mogensen won the silver medal at the London Olympics, while Schenk consistently reached the semifinals and finals of several major tournaments and ended the year in the top 5.

Spain’s Carolina Marin won the Best Young Player of the Year 2012.

Du Pengyu of China (Getty Images)

There were two surprise results in the finals of the Badminton Asia Championships that concluded at Chinese Taipei on Sunday.

Second seed Du Pengyu of China won his first major title subduing teammate Chen Long 21-17 21-19 in the men’s singles final, while Wang Yihan, also seeded No.2, won the women’s singles title over No.1 Li Xuerui 21-15 21-13.

The women’s singles final was a reverse of last year’s Asian Championships final, where Li Xuerui stopped Wang Yihan. Du Pengyu, who has long remained in the shadows of more illustrious teammates like Lin Dan, Chen Long and Chen Jin, had lost last year’s final to Chen Jin.

On Sunday, Du Pengyu dominated from the start, giving Chen Long little space to work his way in. Chen Long fought back from deficits of 7-2 and 16-9, coming to within a point at 15-16, but Du sealed the game without further trouble.

Wang Yihan of China (Getty Images)

The second game was a tougher battle, and the lead kept changing hands. Chen was down 7-10, but he won the next four points to lead briefly, but then again Du shot ahead to 18-12 and the match was effectively over.

Wang Yihan has been at the receiving end of Li Xuerui’s badminton conquest over the last two years. Once the most dominant player in the world, Yihan had no answer to Xuerui’s all-round game, and was a frequent loser in major finals, including the London Olympics final last August. In fact, Xuerui was the winner in their last five encounters.

On Sunday, however, Yihan managed to halt the trend, leading from start to finish in the first and second games. The match was over in just over half-an-hour.

In the first match of the day, Lee Yong Dae/Ko Sung Hyun overcame trouble in the second game to beat Kim Sa Rang/Kim Ki Jung 21-13 22-20. The first game was a washout for the more accomplished pair of Lee/Ko as they shot ahead from 12-11 to 18-11. The second however, was a tougher battle, with both teams remaining within a point of each other for most of the game. Kim Ki Jung and Kim Sa Rang saved one match point at 19-20, but could not prevent their more experienced teammates from sealing the match on their second match point.