NEW DELHI: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal got a shot in the arm ahead of next month’s Olympics as she lifted the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold title after rallying to beat Thailand’s Ratchanok Inthanon in the final of the event in Bangkok on Sunday. The 22-year-old world number five Indian beat Inthanon 19-21, 21-15, 21-10 at the CU Sport Complex in Bangkok for her second title of the year after the Swiss Open win in March. The win will come as a massive boost to Saina’s confidence ahead of Olympics in July-August. The top seeded Indian was scratchy to start with but drew from her experience and superb maneuvering at the net to beat her second-seeded 17-year-old rival.
Although it was a see-saw battle to start with, Inthanon’s energy and fabulous baseline play stood out. The smash winner, which is Saina’s stock shot, was coming out more frequently from the Thai’s racquet who seemed to revel amid the partisan crowd’s thunderous cheering. (PTI)