She was forced to a lot of legwork, running all over the court. And she also had to put a bit of pressure on the knee as she had to retrieve a lot of low shots. And Saina looked untroubled by that, which should be a good sign. Let us hope Saina can build on this and notch up some good results in the rest of the season.
It was always supposed to be a very tough opener for Nehwal. But considering her past few performances against the World No. 1, the former All England runner-up did pretty well. Her movement and fitness looked quite good and her overall display was encouraging. If she can remain injury-free and if the draws favour her in her next few tournaments, she can get some good results.