Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu: All set for a face-off at the Indian Open Super Series

Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu are now the top two female badminton players in India. Both of them, with their own unique style of play, have won several tournaments and Grands Prix, and proven their mettle time and again by defeating some of the toughest of opponents. Now although it is always a matter of pride for an Indian fan to witness them achieve victories over foreign opponents, it is also an interesting prospect to watch the two young ladies battle it out against each other.

They have gone head-to-head 3 times, twice in the first edition of the IBL, and once in the Indian Grand Prix Gold event, with Saina having won all three of these matches. They now might get another opportunity to play each other – in the semi-finals of the Indian Open Super Series event – provided they get past each of their opponents until then.

That is surely easier said than done, as all the players seem to be in top form, and beating them will require quite an effort.

However, assuming they march into the semis and have a face off, the girls will have to bring in their best games, as both are dogged players that are not easy to run over. Saina currently holds the 8th rank in the world whilst her younger colleague holds the 9th rank. So they are quite close to each other in terms of current form, and it could be anybody’s game if they give it their best shot.

Now let’s look at their achievements and current form to try and determine as to who might have a better chance of winning.

It’s not an unknown fact that Saina has won many Super Series championships, a pair each of gold medals, bronze medals and Grand Prix Golds and has held the rank of world number 2 in the past. She is the premier female badminton player from India who also happens to be the only Indian woman to have won an Olympic medal in the sport of badminton. Saina is known for her steady game play where she brings in a lot of aggression, speed and deception which often make her opponents commit errors.

The Hyderabad Hotshots skipper led her team to victory at the inaugural IBL, where she beat Sindhu’s team, the Awadhe Warriors, in the finals. She is one of the favourites to win the title in her home country.

Now let’s have a look at Sindhu’s career so far. She is now 18 years old and has been christened a ‘giant slayer’ owing to her wins over some of the top-most players in badminton, including the current top three players in the world from China. She might not have as many medals pinned to her name as Sania does, but she has already achieved quite a lot of success in her, as yet, short career. She won the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold in 2013, and at the World Badminton Championships later that year, she beat the two top Chinese players Wang Yihan and Wang Shixian to become the first Indian female to win a world championship medal, that being bronze.

Sindhu has the ability to vanquish these players with her height, her attacking shots and her ability to keep calm which is not Saina’s forte; the Olympic medallist can sometimes wilt under pressure.

Saina is seeded 8th at the Indian Open Super Series and will face Austria’s Simone Prutsch in the first round and will face a Chinese opponent later on in the competition.

Sindhu however, will start her campaign facing a tough Chinese opponent – Shixian Wang. But the one good thing about that for her is that she has defeated Shixian in each of their three meetings. She comes into the tournament in great shape, as does Saina, so it is tough to pick the better player between the two at this stage, although Saina might have an advantage owing to her having beaten Sindhu thrice in the past. But if we are to take a clean slate, then Sindhu just might have an edge over Saina owing to her improved game play.

So here’s wishing that we see the two Indians face off in the semis, where the battle between them will surely reach new heights!