Saina Nehwal sends Minatsu Mitani packing in 2012 Yonex Denmark Open – Badminton News
Indian badminton queen Saina Nehwal employed all of her brilliance in the game and blew away Minatsu Mitani in the second round of Yonex Denmark Open on Thursday, October 18, 2012.
This Women’s Singles encounter was full of drama despite of reaching to climax in just 19 minutes.
Both contenders entertained the local badminton lovers of Odense, Denmark with a splendid show of skills and their honest effort fetched a great deal of admiration for them.
World Number four Saina Nehwal, who is third seeded player of this Premier Super Series, had a horrendous start as she remained at the lower end in the beginning of first set but she did not lose her nerve and saved her honour in a commendable manner.
On the other hand, the Japanese campaigner also performed beyond expectations and walked tall despite facing a 2-0 defeat.
Minatsu Mitani, who was underrated earlier in this tournament, registered her presence by ruling the court in the first half of the opening game.
She did not give her higher ranked rival enough time to get settled and enthralled her with a brisk attack.
She employed unusual tactics as on a few occasions she confined Saina to the rear court with her power packed strokes and then claimed valuable points with masterly crafted drop net shots.
Minatsu Mitani alarmed her competitor by prevailing in 15 uninterrupted rallies. It was felt that she will sweep the table with a huge difference but then the opposing shuttler came in her way.
The seasoned Indian campaigner Saina did not show any sign of bewilderment and served notice of her supremacy with stunning backlash.
She did not spare any loop-hole and dominated the remaining part of the game. She bagged 21 points in a row and finished the first set with 21-15 score on the board.
This emphatic knock boosted her confidence and Saina played with even more conviction in the following game and cornered the Japanese player in all areas of the game.
She laid the foundation of her dominance by piling up a mountainous total of 11 before interval and then sealed her straight-set victory with an overwhelming margin of 21-14.
Now she will lock horns with the Danish female player Tine Baun in quarter-finals of the tournament.
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