India ace Saina Nehwal brushes aside injury worries for Delhi event
India ace Saina Nehwal brushes aside injury worries for Delhi event
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"There were some problems with my ankle. There was a little fluid but it is much better now. I had to take tablets during the All England and Swiss Open, but I am fit to play here," said Saina.
Saina Nehwal
Saina has been drawn against Japanese Ai Goto in the opening round and could meet another Japanese, Eriko Hirose, in the quarter-final.
Hirose beat Saina in the All England championship in March but the Indian had her revenge in the Swiss Open, which she won.
"I played very well in the Swiss Open and the last time I played in Delhi, I won the Commonwealth Games gold. The stadium is lucky for me," Saina said.
"The first two matches are always difficult because you take time to adjust to the conditions and the courts.
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There are no Chinese players, but the competition will be tough. Denmark's Tine Baun, who is seeded second, is also here," said the World No 4.
Apart from Saina, Aditi Mutatkar will be the other Indian challenge in the first ever BWF Super Series tournament to be held in India.
In men's singles, World No 1 Malaysian Lee Chong Wei will be in action along with veterans Taufik Hidayat, a former Olympic gold medallist from Indonesia, and Denmark's former world champion Peter Gade.
India's best hope will be Parupalli Kashyap, who won a bronze in the Commonwealth Games here. He is likely to run into Hidayat in the second round.
In women's doubles, India's hopes will rest on Commonwealth Games doubles gold medallists Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa.
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