Denmark Open: Sporty town awaits another Saina masterpiece

Saina Nehwal with the Denmark Open trophy. Standing alongside is an actor dressed as fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen

When Saina Nehwal arrives at the Denmark Open to defend the last title she won, she will play in a town that is untypical of most badminton venues.

Odense, the town that hosts the Denmark Open, is special in many ways. It is well known as the birthplace of the children’s fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen, and all Danes are proud of the legacy he has left behind. Other cities too host important badminton events, but no other place showcases the charms of its culture and traditions as the Denmark Open. On finals day, for instance, you will find a Hans Christian Andersen lookalike greeting spectators and players at the entrance. Every year, a group of overseas journalists is shown around town, introduced to the history, culture and business of Odense.

The most remarkable thing about Odense is its keenness to promote sport. Indeed, such is the enthusiasm for sport that the official motto of the town council is ‘To Play Is To Live’. Council members talk of the importance of sport in modern Danish society. Apart from its known effect on community health, it is seen as a great vehicle for integration and to lessen crime in troubled communities.

The charming little town sets the stage for the tournament. Last year Saina was in wonderful form as she clinched the title without dropping a game. Incidentally, in the second round came her one and only win over former No.1 Wang Yihan of China. Yihan trailed a game and 12-7 when she pulled out with a leg injury. In the previous match, Saina had cut short the farewell home match of local heroine Tine Baun.

Her opponent in the final was another European, Juliane Schenk. The German had her chances in the first game, but once Saina pocketed it, she was ruthless in the second, allowing Schenk just eight points. The Indian was in sublime form, and nothing could rock her concentration on the day. Fans queued up to take her autograph, and the Indian sportingly signed every one of them.

Saina has a fairly comfortable draw this time. She should be able to breeze past first round opponent Stefani Stoeva of Bulgaria in the first round, and (possibly) Kirsty Gilmour (Scotland) in the second. The third round could be against the fast-emerging Japanese Sayaka Takahashi, or Korean Open champion Sung Ji Hyun. Neither will be easy, but Saina should be able to quell that challenge and enter the semifinals.

The semis could be against Olympic champion Li Xuerui (China), but other contenders for the semifinal place include Carolina Marin (Spain) and Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Thailand).

Saina’s compatriot PV Sindhu is in the bottom half of the draw, which decidedly looks tougher. Sindhu faces a stiff test against veteran Eriko Hirose (Japan) up front, followed by a potential clash against Chinese Taipei prodigy Tai Tzu Ying. Other heavyweights too lurk in the draw, such as Wang Yihan (China), World Champion Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand) and Juliane Schenk (Germany). Intanon is favourite to progress from her half of the draw, but the competition is so stiff there’s no way to predict who the eventual finalists will be. A Saina versus Sindhu final would be the dream of Indian badminton fans.

Meanwhile, the men’s singles will see a determined charge by several Indian hopefuls. The last Superseries event, the Japan Open, saw three Indian quarterfinalists, and it is possible that they might do even better here. P Kashyap, Guru Sai Dutt and Ajay Jayaram start in the main draw, and Anand Pawar, HS Prannoy, K Srikanth and Sourabh Verma in qualifying. A year ago, Verma had closed out the campaign of Denmark’s retiring star Peter Gade. With the exception of No.1 Lee Chong Wei and No.2 Chen Long, the Indians are capable of beating anybody, and it shouldn’t be a surprise if one or two make the semifinals.

Who would have imagined this state of affairs five or six years ago?