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Having been crowned the world number one yesterday, Saina Nehwal clinched the Yonex Sunrise All India Open Super Series title after defeating World No. 8 Thai shuttler Ratchanok Intanon in the summit clash.
The top-seeded Nehwal prevailed over the 20-year-old Intanon 21-16, 21-14 in the women’s singles final which lasted 49 minutes at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
The 25-year-old Indian made a whirlwind start to the match, zooming to a healthy 11-5 lead in the opening game. But trailing 5-12, Ratchanok reeled off five straight points to make the scores 10-12.
After the breather, the Indian gathered the lost momentum and sealed the next six points in a row to take a healthy lead. This proved to be very crucial for the Indian shuttler as she wrapped the opening game 21-16.
Nehwal was getting tremendous support from the home crowd, and the loud cheers of ‘Saina Saina’ and ‘India India’ boosted her confidence even more.
The second game was a completely one-sided affair as the Thai player looked far behind the Indian in terms of quickness and dexterity. Though Nehwal lost a couple of points because of miscued shots, she managed to hold on to her nerves and grabbed the game with ease by the scoreline of 21-14.
With this win Nehwal has become the first Indian player to win the All India Super Series title. This is her second title of the season; in Janauary she won the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold title.
