India’a Saina Nehwal bagged her second Australian Open title, after beating Sun Yu of China 11-21 21-14 21-19 in a pulsating final at the Sports Centre in Sydney on Sunday.
The opening game saw Sun get off the blocks first as she took an 8-4 lead before going 11-6 in front at the interval mark. Following the break, she continued to have the upper hand and eventually won the game 21-11
The second game saw Saina get off the blocks early as she went 4-3 in front but Sun returned to make it 7-8 in her favour. However, Saina gathered all her mental strength and clinched 4 out of the next 5 points to go 11-8 in front. After the interval, the 26-year-old dominated proceedings as Sun lost control and eventually the game 21-14.
The decider began with Sain taking the early upper hand, leading 8-6 at one point, before Sun fought back to first level the score at 8-8 and then take a 10-8 lead. However, Saina once gain showed great mental strength and clinched 3 points straight to go 11-10 in front.
After the interval, Saina maintained her grip over proceedings and in a tight affair won the game 21-19 to win the crown for a second time in three years.
