Saina clinches Malaysia Masters title

Sibu (Malaysia), January 22

Saina Nehwal was forced to dig deep to overcome unseeded Thailand teenager Pornpawee Chochuwong in straight games to clinch the women’s singles title at the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold here on Sunday.

The 26-year-old top seed utilised her experience to pull off a fighting 22-20 22-20 win in 46 minutes to bag her first title after undergoing a knee surgery in August last year.

Initially slow, Saina found herself trailing 5-15 at the break. Her opponent, using delectable drop shots, opened up a big lead and looked set to take the first game. However, after the breather, Saina managed to pull things back. Pornpawee won the first point to stretch the lead to 12-5 but the London Olympics bronze medallist notched up three consecutive points, and then, after conceding a point, she picked up four back-to-back points to further bridge the gap.

A few unforced errors on her part, however, allowed the young Thai player to sit at a 19-16 advantage. The prospect of losing the game brought out the best in Saina as she fought back hard to level the score, and then went on to clinch the game 22-20.

The second game turned out to be an equally intense affair but this time the Indian didn’t let her opponent open up a big lead. Saina was 11-8 ahead at the halfway mark, but the Thai girl caught up with her and thereafter they stayed neck-and-neck. With the score tied at 20-20, Saina used her experience to win the next two points and clinch the game, match and trophy. — IANS