MALAYSIA OPEN 2012 QF – Saina triumphs, Chen Jin sweet revenge

Tine Baun suffered a second defeat to Saina Nehwal in just one month’s time at the quarter-final stage of the 2012 Maybank Malaysia Open Superseries while Chen Jin avoided a similar fate in his rematch with Jan O. Jorgensen.

By Lee Suet Yan, live in Kuala Lumpur. Photos: Yves Lacroix for Badmintonphoto (live)

The current world no. 4 has continued on from her recent victory against Tine Baun in the recently concluded 2011 Li Ning BWF World Superseries Finals, today defeating Tine in three games. Saina Nehwal started the first game well as she took it easily 21-13. Then, Tine was just in time to steal one, at least, from Saina, by taking the second game 23-21. In the rubber game, Saina was trying very hard to reach every shuttle, and eventually Tine was blown away, Saina wrapped up the match 21-13, 21-23, 21-13.

“Today was a very tired match, compared to last time when I played against her at the Superseries Finals,” Saina said after the the match. “Here today she gave me a very tough quarter-final. She was playing very well today and she is tall, she hit every shuttle very well. In the 3^rd set, I was very lucky because I was able to reach every shuttle that I could. But, I think she is a very good player, she did really well. Anyway, I am very happy to pull it off today.”

As for the hope for the Olympics year, Saina said “There are about six to seven months to go for the Olympics Games. I won’t put myself under too much pressure. I will prepare myself better for the Olympics Games. I’ll try to play better in every tournament and this is my aim for this year.”

Regarding her target for the Olympics Games, Saina added with a smile: “Everyone sets a target to win something in London. Even my target is to do that. But I just hope that I can stay injury free because staying injury free is more important than everything for me.”

Nowadays, with China dominating the world of badminton, it is difficult for non-Chinese players to break through their wall. Saina commented: “I think fortunately I have defeated one or two Chinese players before, so I don’t worry much about it. Either six of them are playing, or ten of them are playing in a tournament. I don’t really need to worry because they have a lot of players. They have the best players in the world. Nobody can stop them. I will just have to do my best. It is difficult not only for me, but for all the players in the world to defeat them. However, we will surely come out with a better strategy in the long term.

“It is difficult in the short term because there are too many tournaments right now and we don’t have many days to train. In contrast, China has six to seven players so they can arrange four girls to play in this tournament, and another two to play the next tournament. Hence, they have more time to train. Even though I’ve beaten some of the Chinese players before, I’ve never planned to beat them or break their dominance, it’s always just happened, because the hard work just paid off. I always believe in God, just wait what will happen in the next two years.”

On the men’s singles court, Chen Jin successfully avenged his own loss at the Korea Open last week and that of his team-mate Lin Dan in Malaysia yesterday. Chen defeated Jan O Jorgensen 21-16, 20-22, 21-6.

“That should have been a two-game match,” he said confidently after the match. Chen Jin does not feel pressure as Chen Long has now taken over him as China’s no. 2 men’s singles player. He said: “It is very normal because he [Chen Long] can play consistently in every tournament, his ranking will surely be higher than mine.”

In the women’s doubles department, Denmark’s powerful and tall ladies Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl displayed a terrific performance when they defeated the 1^st seeds Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa of Japan 21-19, 21-9. The Japanese ladies, who wore new red and white outfits today, had no luck in the contest. Celebrating the victory, Perdersen threw her wrist band and the shuttlecock to the crowd with excitement.

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