Nagpur shuttlers disappoint at All India Senior Ranking Badminton

NAGPUR: Qualifiers Sarang Lakhanee and Mugdha Agrey failed to cross the main draw first round hurdle on the third day of the Coal India All India Senior Ranking Badminton tournament at the Karnataka Badminton Association Stadium in Bangalore on Thursday. 

Sarang lost to MG Hemanth 14-21, 10-21 in 28 minutes. The city lad fought well in the first game but found Karnataka shuttler too hot to handle as the match progressed. 

It was a spirited display by Mugdha against third seed Saili Rane. Although 15-year-old Bhavans student lost in straight games, she did stretch the experienced Air India shuttler in a match which lasted for nearly half an hour. 

In the women's doubles, Mugdha and her partner Vaidehi Choudhari got a walkover in their first round encounter. They will meet seventh seeds Agna Anto and Sneha Santhilal in the second round on Friday. 

Seeded No. 14 Vaishnavi Bhale and Bhakti Dahasahasra did not go Bangalore because of their ongoing exams. 

RESULTS (Round 1) 

Men's singles: Sarang Lakhanee lost to MG Hemanth 14-21, 10-21. 

Women's singles: Mugdha Agrey lost to 3-Saili Rane 15-21, 9-21. 

Women's doubles: Mugdha Agrey-Vaidehi Choudhari walkover Komal Antil-Ekata Kalia.

Panel detail Lee Chong Wei's negligent practices in doping case

KUALA LUMPUR: For seven years, Lee Chong Wei, one of badminton's finest athletes, took cordyceps tablets from unmarked containers on the advice of a mysterious friend without any knowledge of how they were capsulated or stored. 

It was a risky practice, unheard of in most Olympic sports that led to a positive test last year for the man who had spent almost 300 weeks as the world number one. 

"From an athlete in such a prominent position the demands of caution to avoid negligence are expected to be very high. Even though he has been cautious, Lee Chong Wei has not met the required level, a 12-page Badminton World Federation report (BWF) said. 

"Mr. Lee exposed himself for a completely unnecessary risk of consuming illegal substance for many years." 

The 32-year-old twice Olympic silver medallist's is free to return to the court on Friday after the backdated BWF eight month ban for having the non-performance enhancer dexamethasone in his system. 

His game, built on expert retrieving and incredible reflexes may need little modification before next year's Rio Games but his off-court practices require wholesale changes. 

The banned anti-inflammatory was thought to been on the casing of "one or more" of Lee's cordyceps tablets, which he took two of each day from his teenage years after his mother thought it would be beneficial for his health. 

Cordyseps, a natural food product, "is a fungus which grows parasitically on the larvae and pupae of insects in winter, leading to the formation of a fungal fruiting body in summers," the panel determined. 

When Lee moved to Kuala Lumpur from his hometown of Perak in 2000, his mother would have the cordyseps crushed and put into gelatin capsules and sent to the promising shuttler, the BWF' panel said in their 12-page decision. 

That changed, though, around 2007 when the wife "of a very influential man in Malaysia" that Lee had befriended began sending the then reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist cordyseps as a gift. 

The wife would purchase the cordyseps and have them grounded down and capsulated at a shop in the Malaysian capital with Lee taking two every morning. Lee said he didn't want to name the wife, fearing the consequences for her if she was associated with the case. 

The shop owner who treated the cordyseps acknowledged the risk of contamination but opted against giving a statement and also remained anonymous for fear "it would adversely affect his business". 

When Badminton Association of Malaysian (BAM) officials found Lee was taking the tablets shortly after the wife begun sending them, they advised the shuttler they, with no other additives, were safe to use as they were food-based. 

BAM decided they didn't warrant testing as they hadn't led to any problems before. 

"It is worrying if he has received unsatisfactory anti-doping education from BAM or other sources and/or the focus on anti-doping security has been unsatisfactory," the BWF report said. 

Mourners’ merry memories of Meena Shah; Lucknow’s Padma Shri Shuttler Passes Away

LUCKNOW: Her curly hair swayed and sari fluttered in the air as she rode down Hazratganj, on a bright green Vespa scooter, back in the 1960s. This is the picturesque memory of ace badminton player Meena Shah several Lucknowites shared on Tuesday, after she breathed her last, early morning following a cardiac arrest at a city hospital. She had just celebrated her 78th birthday on January 31. At a time women could not move out of the four walls of the house, Meena flicked her wrist effortlessly with a badminton racket in hand. Unmarried, the Muslim woman taught the game to three generations of her friends and their families. 

An Arjuna awardee and Padma Shri recipient, Shah ruled the badminton circle for several years. Winner of the singles title in the Senior National Badminton Championships for seven years in a row (1959-1965), Meena was among the first Indian women in sports. She had also won the women's doubles title thrice and the mixed double's crown twice. Shah had also been conferred with the prestigious Uttar Pradesh Laxman Award. 

"Meena and I have been friends since 1960 and since 1979 and I had been taking care of Baby as I used to call her fondly," said Mauveen Shaw, who had been her support at their home in Qaiserbagh, recalling how Shah would help any stray animal. "I remember we saw an injured horse lying on the pavement around Parivartan Chowk area. Everyday both of us took grass from La Matiniere Girls College, where I taught and we fed the horse. For the next few days, every time the horse heard the scooter horn, it would neigh in response," shared Meena's closest friend. There were times Meena would forget to refuel the scooter and stranded till the next fueling station, they would drag the vehicle to the horse, added Shaw. 

"We used to play gulli danda together at the Lalbagh grounds, even before we were coached by T N Seth for badminton around the same time," said Shah's childhood friend Ann Marie Kalra, adding, "With one agile movement of her wrist, she would make her opponent run across the entire court, running and gasping for breath, while she stood there smiling triumphantly." Ann's daughter Jaya Kalra said, "The scooter was called 'Chhappan battees' by everyone in the social circle, and she would always take along more than three people on it at a time. I remember the times when because of her illness in the later years, she would tie the shuttle to a thread on the clothes line and keep hitting at it. She could not walk without support at that time, but her love for the game was phenomenal. She taught everyone and children she loved most." 

Recalling the first time he saw Shah playing at the Asian Badminton Championship held in Lucknow, retired officer K K Bali said, "She was playing there with the likes of Nandu Natekar, Suresh Goel and if I remember correctly, Prakash Padukone. Her heavy frame never came in the way of her game. She had racy movement and fast reflexes." 

Mohammad Haider, head, legal and regulatory affairs in a private telecom major said, "I remember being taught by her in the badminton court outside her house. Her turns and technique were sharp." 

An admirer Rana Safvi recalled, "I had met her in school when I was in class VII. She was an icon, not just for budding badminton players, but for all women of that time." 
'Loss for entire baddie frat' 

President of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) Akhilesh Das Gupta condoled death of Padma Shri Meena Shah on March 10. Gupta said it was a loss not just for Lucknow but for the Indian badminton fraternity. General secretary Vijai Sinha informed that two minutes of silence were observed at BBD Uttar Pradesh Badminton Academy, as a tribute to the seven times senior national badminton champion. 

This is golden phase of Indian badminton, says Pawar

NAGPUR: Spectacular results achieved by Indian shuttlers in last few months have really delighted yesteryear heroes and Uday Pawar is no exception. 

The former Indian player termed the present phase as the best ever for Indian badminton and opined the better is yet to come. 

The former Indian player said that Indian badminton is in its best phase at present and opined the better is yet to come. 

"This is undoubtedly the golden phase of Indian badminton. It started with Saina Nehwal becoming world No. 1. It can only get better in the years to come. I am sure, the best of Indian badminton is just round the corner," said Pawar. 

The Mumbai-based player-turned-coach was addressing the media after inaugurating the 11th SJAN Media Badminton tournament at the Subhedar Hall here on Monday. 

The 56-year-old said that various factors played key role in Indian players achieving excellent results at the international level. 

"I must say major credit goes to academies. We have some very good academies in India which are continuously producing quality players. Government has been supporting the game by providing lot of financial assistance. Players get lot of international exposure thanks to ministry of sports constant support. With good results, many sponsors have also come forward which is directly helping the players and game in general," said Pawar. 

Pawar, former doubles partner of legendary Prakash Padukone, said that India producing a quality player after a gap of 10-20 years is now a thing of past. "We took almost two decades to produce a true champion in the form of Pullela Gopichand after Prakash Padukone. Thankfully, the situation is quite rosy now with several Indians doing well simultaneously at the international level. Better fitness level has contributed a lot to their success. Indian players always had the skill but lacked in fitness. With improved fitness, the results have now started coming in a big way," said Pawar, who runs a badminton academy at the Goregaon Sports Club in Mumbai. 

The multiple former national champion admitted that India is now a force to reckon with in the world of badminton. "The success of Saina, Srikanth, Sindhu and Kashyap has made other Indian players fearless. They now have the self-belief to do well at every international tournament. This talented bunch is not afraid of any players be it the Chinese or the Indonesians. Self-confidence has increased and this will ensure even better results in future," said Pawar, whose son Anand has also represented India. 

Pawar said the present boom must be capitalized by the Badminton Association of India by building up a strong infrastructure for the game. He praised Saina for enhancing the status of badminton by climbing atop the world ranking. "She is certainly at the peak of her career. She has become a serious threat to the top Chinese players. Her game has improved by few notches in the last one year or so. No doubt, she has worked hard, but coaches should also get the credit for her success. Be it her present coach Vimal Kumar or previous coach Gopichand. Both have shaped the career of Saina in a big way," said Pawar. 

He said there is lot of talent in Nagpur and he is ready for any help to the budding shuttlers of the city.

Saina, Srikanth - signs of India's success in badminton

NEW DELHI: The twin victories at the recent India Open Superseries here were extraordinary moments for Indian badminton. 

When Kidambi Srikanth followed his senior compatriot Saina Nehwal atop the podium at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, it reflected India's rapid progress in the sport. Until recently a country with few journeymen in the top-100 of the world rankings, India has made a sensational shift in producing world-beaters. 

Eight years ago, it would have seemed improbable that India would produce a Superseries champion. However, the country today not only has the women's singles World No.1, but also a line-up of singles players hungry for and capable of winning titles at the highest level. 

Several factors have contributed to the phenomenon. Pullela Gopichand's All England victory in 2001, broadcast live on television, caught the attention of a young generation of Indians. 

Not long thereafter, the Badminton Association of India (BAI), together with the Badminton World Federation (BWF), started bringing big events to India such as the Badminton Asia Championships (2005) and the India Open Grand Prix Gold (2008). These events treated local fans to some of the world's best badminton action and players -- live and direct. 

"What's transpired in Indian badminton over recent years is a great example of how one sport can capture a country's imagination and how vital support can help it to flourish, and for that sponsors like Yonex-Sunrise -- which now title-sponsors the India Open - must be highly commended," said BWF secretary general Thomas Lund. 

Such initiatives ultimately paid rich dividends two Sundays ago with Saina and Srikanth's victories, a rare instance of two non-Chinese home players winning Superseries titles. 



For Saina, a burden was removed from her back as she had never performed to her satisfaction or to her potential in her country's biggest tournament. Srikanth's triumph heightened speculation that he is among the next generation of super stars in men's singles while proving his China Open win last year was not a one-off wonder. 
His success suggested that he could well be ready to challenge China's Chen Long for the top spot in the world rankings, something he is not afraid to acknowledge. 

"I've always carried it in my mind and it's good to have that ambition to be on top. I won't get it this week but if I carry on playing well, definitely one day I will be there," he noted. 

Having compatriot Saina's trailblazing example to follow is surely inspiration enough.

Former doubles champ warns on match-fixing in badminton

JAKARTA: Former doubles world champion Rexy Mainaky has called on badminton chiefs to take corruption in the sport more seriously, a report said Tuesday, after two top Danish players revealed they were approached to fix matches. 

Indonesian player Mainaky, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1996, said it was clear the sport wasn't safe from match-fixing and it was vital the Badminton World Federation (BWF) be more vigilant. 

"We have easy access to follow matches online or via live streaming, unlike in my era," Mainaky, now the head of athlete development and achievement at the Indonesian Badminton Association, was cited as saying in the Jakarta Post newspaper on Tuesday. 

"Therefore, the (BWF) should take this matter more seriously." 

World number 11 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, one of the Danes approached to fix matches, recently told AFP it would be naive to think that all badminton matches were clean, warning "no tournament is safe" from corruption. 

He revealed last year that he was approached via Facebook at the Japan Open by a man he had met at previous tournaments, who claimed to have fixed matches at last year's Singapore Open and Thomas Cup. 

Vittinghus's fellow Dane and doubles specialist Kim Astrup was also offered 2,500 to 3,000 euros (US$2,650-3,175) to throw matches, as well as the chance to bet on the outcomes. 

Both players declined and reported the incident to the BWF, which handed it over to the police for investigation. 

Mainaky said match fixing was rare in badminton but the sport wasn't immune to misconduct, including teams throwing matches when playing opponents from their own country.

Lee Chong Wei Gets Backdated Doping Ban, Can Return May 1

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei Monday was cleared to resume his career and pursuit of Olympic gold when he received an eight-month, backdated ban for doping. He was provisionally suspended in November last year.

The former long-time world number one can return to the court as early as this week after the Badminton World Federation found he "accidentally" ingested a banned substance.

Lee, 32, who is eligible to resume competition on May 1, had warned he would retire if he was hit with a possible two-year ban that would have ruled him out of next year's Olympics.

He was delighted with the outcome of a process which began at last August's world championships, when he tested positive for the banned anti-inflammatory dexamethasone.

"I'm quite happy," Lee told reporters at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur. "I am very happy to go back to the court."

The BWF said an anti-doping panel found Lee had been "negligent" by ingesting the substance, which was in contaminated capsules containing a food supplement.

But it was satisfied Lee did not set out to cheat, after studying evidence given at a hearing in the Netherlands.

"The panel is convinced this is not a case of doping with intent to cheat," the panel found, according to a BWF statement.

Lee had previously said he received the drug during stem-cell treatment for a thigh injury before the world championships, where he was runner-up to China's Chen Long.

He was stripped of his world championships silver medal but allowed to keep his singles and team bronzes from last year's Asian Games, which he played before the failed drugs test came to light.

Crucially, Lee can now begin his build-up to Rio de Janeiro next year, where he will try to crown his career by winning his first Olympic title.

- Sudirman Cup target -

Lee said he accepted the BWF's ruling and would be more careful to avoid banned substances.

"I can say I learned something from these few months," said the soft-spoken shuttler. "I will be more careful now."

Lee, a quiet, self-effacing athlete know for shunning the limelight while training obsessively, first became world number one in late 2008, staying at or near the summit ever since.

But he has repeatedly fallen short in pursuit of the sport's top prizes -- the world and Olympic titles -- despite reaching three world championship finals and two Olympic deciders.

Lee's absence from the court has dropped him from the top ranking all the way down to 30th in the world.

Malaysian badminton officials had told AFP they were hoping for a decision this week so that they would know whether or not to include Lee in the May 10-17 Sudirman Cup in China.

Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who appeared at the press briefing with Lee, said Malaysia also wanted him to compete in the Southeast Asian Games in June.

"I agree with (the Badminton Association of Malaysia) and Chong Wei that he needs to get back into form with as many competitions as possible to ultimately qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janiero after being out of action for eight months," Khairy said.

Saina Nehwal Thanks PM Modi for his Encouraging Words

Hyderabad: Ace India shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday, expressed happiness over Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaping praise on her for climbing the number one spot in world badminton ranking, in his monthly radio address.

"It is an honour to be mentioned by the Honourable Prime Minister (in his radio address)," Saina, who returned to Hyderabad this morning from Wuhan, China after losing in the quarterfinals of the Asia Badminton championship, said.

Addressing the nation on Sunday, Modi lavished praise on tennis star Sania Mirza and Saina for climbing to number one in world rankings in their respective sports. He also offered words of support to the country's cricketers, who were heavily criticised after their World Cup ouster last month, during his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme on AIR.

While Sania has climbed to the top in doubles rankings, Saina is currently the numero uno shuttler in singles - both being the first Indian women to achieve the feat.

"I am proud to say that two daughters of the country have brought glory...I congratulate them and all other daughters of the country. We all feel proud," Modi said during the radio programme.

Meanwhile, Saina's father Harvir Singh told PTI they would like to contribute Rs 2 lakh to the Prime Minister's relief fund towards the victims of the devastating earthquake.

BAI Chief Akhilesh Das Gupta Elected Badminton Asia Confederation Vice-President

New Delhi: Badminton Association of India (BAI) President Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta was on Saturday elected the vice-president of the Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) for a four-year term.

Akhilesh was elected during the continental body's general elections in Wuhan, China.

Akhilesh, who held the same post in last committee, polled the highest number of votes among the six vice-presidents and played an important role in helping Indonesia's Anton Aditya Subowo get unanimously elected the president of BAC.

Subowo will replace Malaysia's Mohd Nadzmi Bin Mohd Salleh.

Badminton Association of Thailand chief Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul was also in the race for the President's post but settled for one of the six vice-president post.

The BAI President got a 24 of the 31 votes counted while none of China's representative managed to find a place among the office-bearers.

"Badminton Association of India has been doing a good job in organising many international tournaments and our players are now among the best in the world. The BAC vote is a proof that badminton world is looking forward to India playing a bigger role in Asia," Akhilesh said immediately after the election.

Korea's Hong-Ki Kim was elected the general secretary.

Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu Ousted From Badminton Asia Championship

Wuhan, China: Indian challenge ended at the Asia badminton championship with Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu suffering three-game defeats in the quarterfinals of the continental championship here on Friday.

World No. 1 Saina could not get across fifth seed Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei, going down 21-16 13-21 18-21 in a 55-minute women's singles match.

Eighth seed Sindhu, who is playing her first tournament after missing action last month, too ran out of steam against top seed Li Xuerui of China, losing 21-11 19-21 8-21 in a match that lasted 52 minutes.

Olympic Games bronze medallist, Saina has always found it difficult against Tzu even though she has beaten her opponent five times in the past.

In their last five meetings, however, Saina had to face defeat against Tzu and today was no different as her fight ended in another heartbreak.

Saina had to fight back after lagging 6-10 early on to draw parity at 11-11. The Indian opened up a slender 16-14 lead at one stage only to see it blow away. However, the Indian secured five consecutive points after that to grab the opening game.

In the second, Tzu didn't give Saina any chance as she slowly and steadily distanced herself from the Indian, before making a giant jump with straight five points to move to 14-7. She held her fort after that to bounce back into contest.

In the decider, Tzu once again surged ahead 5-1. After a lot of hard work, Saina caught up with her at 17-17 but the Taiwanese shuttler soon shut the door on the Indian to cement her place in the semifinals.

Going into the match with a 1-1 record, Sindhu did not waste any time as she zoomed to a 8-1 lead, a gap which Li could not bridge as the Indian conjured up hopes of a win by pocketing the opening game.

In the second game too, Sindhu opened up a 7-3 lead early on but Li clawed back at 9-9 and turned the tables with a 17-13 lead after that. Sindhu narrow the gap to 19-20 but Li grabbed the next point to roar into contest.

In the decider, Sindhu just didn't have enough steam to challenge Li as the Chinese moved into the semis without much ado.

Badminton Association of India Likely to be Taken to Court for IBL Contract Termination

New Delhi: The promoters of Indian Badminton League (IBL) are mulling legal action against the Badminton Association of India (BAI) for its "unlawful" termination of the agreement between the two parties for running the tournament.

Media reports on Wednesday suggested that BAI has terminated the agreement with the promoters of the tournament - Sporty Solutionz Pvt. Limited (SSPL).

"SSPL, commercial rights holders and promoters of IBL as their first reaction will like to maintain that this act of the BAI is unlawful, unwarranted and against the very basics of the Indian Badminton League Agreement, which the BAI and the Maharashtra Badminton Association have signed with the promoters of IBL (SSPL) for a period of 10 years," release from the company said on Thursday.

"SSPL legal counsels are studying the case and will respond with an appropriate legal action against BAI and the Maharashtra Badminton Association.

"However, in the best interest of IBL, players and sports lovers SSPL is open to dialogue for an amicable resolution of the issue. SSPL is also open for a discussion on any platform," the release added.

SSPL also claimed that BAI's demand for a sum of Rs.50 crore as bank guarantee was against the IBL agreement.

The company also claimed that they have honoured all its commitments and have no defaults on its part.

IBL made its debut in 2013 but was not held next year due to problems between the company and BAI. During the annual meeting held last month, BAI decided to give a 15-day notice to Sporty, asking it to provide guarantee money of Rs. 50 crore.

The company said inspite of its tall demand, they agreed on a sum of Rs.15 crore as bank gurantee but BAI are yet to communicate on it.

"Post discussion a sum of Rupees fifteen crores was agreed as the Bank Guarantee. This was captured in SSPL's last communication to the BAI on March 10, 2015. Response from BAI was awaited on this."

Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu Enter Badminton Asia Championships Quarters, P Kashyap Exits

Wuhan: World No. 1 Saina Nehwal started her campaign with a hard-fought win, while PV Sindhu too continued her rampaging run but it was curtains for top men's shuttler Parupalli Kashyap at the USD 200,000 Badminton Asia Championships here on Thursday.

Olympic bronze-medallist, Saina, who got a bye and a walkover in the first two rounds, was off the blocks with a 21-14 10-21 21-10 win over Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in a women's singles match that lasted for an hour and seven minutes.

The Indian will next take on fifth seed Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei.

Eighth seed Sindhu, a two-time bronze winner at the World Championships, set up a clash with top seed Li Xuerui of China in the quarterfinals after brushing aside Macau's Teng Iok U 21-8 21-9 in another women's singles match at the Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium.

However, Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap, who had played a long match yesterday against Chinese Taipei's Jen Hao Hsu, could not continue his winning run as his gallant fight ended with a 23-21 17-21 8-21 loss to seventh seed Zhengming Wang of China.

Among other Indians, the men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy B sank 10-21 13-21 against third seeds Xiaolong Liu and Zihan Qiu of China.

The mixed doubles pair of Arun Vishnu and Aparna Balan also went down 13-21 5-21 to Kai Lu and Yaqiong Huang of China.

An All England finalist, Saina fought back from 3-5 and 4-6 in the first and third game to hand Okuhara her third defeat in as many encounters.

The girl from Hyderabad lagged initially but she soon opened up a 9-5 lead and even though Okuhara clawed back with a four-point burst, Saina was able to keep her nose ahead to grab the opening game.

Okuhara changed her tactics in the second game and surged ahead to 5-0 early on and then kept distancing herself from the Indian to roar back into the contest.

In the decider, Saina was back in her elements and after lagging 3-5, she drew parity to enter the break with a healthy 11-7 lead. Okuhara tried to break Saina's game but the Indian stamped her authority, reeling off nine straight points to leave the Japanese stranded.

In men's singles, Kashyap showed tremendous grit as he fought back from 0-5 down to grab an 11-8 lead at one stage and despite Wang clawing back at 12-12, the Indian kept breathing down his neck to eventually earn the early bragging rights.

However, Wang bounced back comfortably in the second game as he led 6-3 early on and then held a 11-9 advantage at the interval. The Chinese blasted five points on the trot to create a gap which Kashyap couldn't bridge.

Once the match went into the decider, it was always difficult as the fatigue of playing a gruelling prequarterfinal match showed on Kashyap's movement, allowing Wang to grab the advantage with both hands.

PV Sindhu Advances to Third Round of Badminton Asia Championships

Wuhan: Two-time World Championship bronze medal winning shuttler P.V. Sindhu made a winning return to the circuit when she easily beat Uzbekistan's Anait Khurshudyan to progress to the women's singles third round at the $200,000 Badminton Asia Championships here on Wednesday.

The eighth seeded Sindhu has been out of action since January due to a foot injury. Playing her first tournament in three months, the eighth seeded Sindhu romped past Anait 21-6, 21-5 in only 16 minutes in the second round at the Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium.

The World No.12, who had received a first round bye, will next take on Macau's Teng Iok U, whom she will be playing for the first time.

Meanwhile in men's doubles, it was bad news for Indian shuttlers as Japanese fourth seeds Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa took care of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Chopra in the second round, winning 21-15, 21-17 in 36 minutes.

Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap Lead Indian challenge at Badminton Asia Championship

Wuhan: A rejuvenated Saina Nehwal and ace men's shuttler Parupalli Kashyap will spearhead the Indian challenge at the USD 200,000 Badminton Asia Championship, which gets underway at the Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium here on Tuesday.

Olympic bronze medallist Saina, who had skipped the Singapore Open Super Series to recharge her batteries after a gruelling month of March, has already sailed to the third round after getting a bye and a walk over in the first two rounds, respectively.

The recently-crowned World No. 1, Saina, who played the All England, Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold and Malaysia Super Series last month, will fight against Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the third round. The girl from Hyderabad has beaten the world no. 10 twice in 2013.

It is going to be a difficult ride for Saina as all the three Chinese -- Li Xuerui, Yihan Wang and Shixian Wang -- are competing at the ABC. However, Kashyap, who clinched the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold title in January this year, will take the court tomorrow and clash against Singapore's Zi Liang Derek Wong. The Commonwealth Games champion has beaten Wong four times, the last being at the Syed Modi tournament. 

World No. 4 Kidambi Srikanth and Indonesian Masters winner HS Prannoy withdrew from the event because of injuries. Prannoy is recovering from a foot injury, while Srikanth is suffering from a shin pain in left leg.

The men's singles will also see defending champion, Lin Dan, a five-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, competing in a field that boosts of current World No. 1 Chen Long, Indonesia's top gun, Tommy Sugiarto, uprising Tanongsak Seambongsuk from Thailand, and Kento Momota and Sho Sasaki from Japan.

The Continental Championships will also see the return of two-time World Championship bronze medallist P V Sindhu after laying low last month due to a stress fracture on her left foot, which she developed during the 79th senior National championship at Vijayawada in February.

The eighth seed from Hyderabad, who had won a bronze in the last edition, got a bye in the opening round and will take on Uzbekistan's Anait Khurshudyan in the second round on Wednesday.

2010 Commonwealth Games champion pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who clinched a bronze last year, will face Chinese Taipei's Ya Ching Hsu and Yu Po Pai in the opening round tomorrow.

In men's doubles, Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Jerry Chopra will be up against fourth seeded Japanese pair of Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa in second round, while Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy B will clash with Ahmad Shekib Iqbal and Ahmad Faheem Yari of Afghanistan in the second round after getting a bye in the first.

Mixed doubles Indian pair of Arun Vishnu and Aparna Balan also got a walk over in the first round.

Saina Nehwal Feels Twin Top Rankings With Sania Mirza Reflect Rise of Women in Indian Sports

After reclaiming the top spot in badminton singles rankings, Saina Nehwal is doubly delighted at fellow Hyderabadi tennis ace Sania Mirza's rise to the summit of the women's doubles rankings and says the twin achievements reflect the rise of women power in the domain of Indian sports

"Sania Mirza is a big name in the world of tennis, she is the numero uno in her game. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours," Saina told IANS in an e-mail interview on Sunday.

"Women in sports have come up in a big way in recent past and I congratulate all of them, including Mary Kom, Krishna Poonia, Geeta Phogat, Babita Kumari, Heena Sidhu and Sania Mirza," she said.

"It is good that women power is visible in sports," she said, crediting the central government's sports policies for the success stories.

Sania was elevated to the No.1 spot in the women's doubles rankings, according to the latest Women's Tennis Association (WTA) list released on April 13.

Saina became the first Indian women to be crowned World No.1 on March 29 after her Indian Open Grand Prix triumph. But she dropped to the second place, overtaken by China's Li Xuerui, following her semi-finals exit in the Malaysia Open Superseries.

But she regained the top slot after Li pulled out of Singapore Open Superseries.

Sania, on the other hand, leapfrogged to the top spot after winning her third consecutive Women's Tennis Association (WTA) title - the Family Circle Cup - with new partner Martina Hingis.

"I am proud to be World No.1 in badminton. It is really tough to reach the pinnacle in badminton... it took me five years to realise my dream as I became World No.2 in 2010," the right-handed shuttler said.

The 25-year-old Saina is the only non-Chinese to get the top billing since 2010 when Denmark's Tine Baun ruled the rankings. The 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist dedicated her recent feat to her parents, coaches and well wishers.

When asked what makes a Chinese player so tough to beat, she said: "Maybe these players are trained on best infrastructure they have created for each sport and the availability of best coaches compared to India and other countries where hardly a few best coaches are available."

"The number of players (in China) is also very high compared to us where there is a shortage of players.

"Luckily I started my career on best infrastructure created in India at Gopi's (Pullela Gopichand) Academy at Hyderabad in 2004 and continued till 2014 during which I won national championships, Junior World Cup and some of Super Series and Gold Grand Prix tournaments," she added. 

Saina has clinched gold in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and bronze in the 2006 edition, besides picking up a bronze at the Incheon Asian Games last year.

In 2014, she became the first Indian woman to win the China Open Super Series Premier beating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the final.

In another first for Indian women shuttlers, Saina reached the All England Open Badminton final last month, but lost to Spain's Carolina Marin recently.

In 2014, Saina shifted to Prakash Padukone's academy in Bangalore. Since then she has been under the tutelage of Vimal Kumar. Former men's No.1 player Padukone also gave her valuable tips.

Saina credited ex-coach Gopichand and incumbent Vimal Kumar for her success.

"Both of them are the best of badminton coaches in India. With Gopi sir, I won a number tournaments and now with Vimal sir my progress is visible in the last seven months," she said.

With expectations climbing high with each day, Saina said her ultimate aim is the Rio Olympics next year.

"I, as a badminton player, will give my 100 percent for my sport. I have to show better results in the 2015 World Cup. 

Saina Nehwal Aiming to Stay World No. 1 For a Long Time

Bengaluru: It won't be easy to hold her recently-acquired number one position in the world rankings but ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal says she is confident of a long reign at the top and is prepared to put in the extra effort for it.(Saina Regains World No. 1 Rank)

"It will be tough maintaining the number one ranking, but people should respect that I have been the first one to reach number one slot," Saina told PTI in an interview.

"If everything falls well in line and if I train well, then I am sure I can maintain it for a long time but it is not going to be easy I have to work very very hard. I have to keep in mind everyday I am world number one and have to work as world number one. I will try my best to win as many titles for my country," she said.('I am a Special Child')

Asked who she perceives as a threat to her world number one status, Saina said Li Xuerui is the top contender because the Chinese has good chances to beat her for she has less number of tournaments.

"All are threat to me. Right now, I cannot comment on one person. Li Xuerui is the top contender because she has less number of tournaments compared to others, so she has the chance to go on top again," she said.

Asked whether her former coach P Gopichand called her after becoming world number one, Saina said there has been not much of a conversation with him except during the tournaments.

"Whenever we go to the tournament, we speak there. Otherwise there is not so much of conversation as we do not have that much of time. We work on our training," she said.

"Being my coach for so many years, he tells so many good things and wishes me best but sometimes when you go to a different place, differences do happen. It is not so easy to be the same coach and trainee. He is doing his things now and I am doing mine. Everything is going fine and that is important," she said.

Asked what went wrong with Gopichand as her coach, Saina said their off-court planning was not fructifying on the court as she was losing to best players like China's Li Xuerui.

"I cannot exactly say what happened but the training which I got was not up to the mark. We discussed on my game but whatever we applied on the court did not work out for me. My game required something different, something else," she said.

Saina further said not every coach can read the game properly and may not know how to improve from one stage to another.

"Not every coach can read the game properly. Sometimes, the coach may not know how to improve from one stage to another. Somehow I got stuck at one place, not improving from that zone," Saina said.

Saina credited her latest achievements to her new Bengaluru-based coach Vimal Kumar and lauded him for making her believe that she is world number one material.

"While working with Vimal sir, I came out with results. Otherwise I lost with very close margins to top players. This shows that improvement was happening, but I was still not confident that I will achieve world number one ranking. Vimal sir had belief in me and said if I keep on performing and winning, the ranking will take care of itself, and that what happened," she said.

"Right now we are working on improving areas which I was weak at and I think, we are doing that very well and that's why the results are coming," she said.

Talking of other issues, Saina reflected on the controversy which erupted after she expressed her displeasure at being ignored for the Padma awards despite fulfilling the criteria. The Hyderabadi, however, asserted that she does not regret being vocal about the issue.

"No, no why should I (regret)? It is okay. I felt at that time that there is something wrong happening, so I spoke about it. Why should I repent it?" she said.

Asked will she be vocal again for Padma award next year, Saina said she would leave it to the government to decide on it.

"Sometimes sportspersons speak emotionally. Next time I will leave it to them to decide. It's done one time, it's done, it's finished. You don't need to speak about it 100 times. Nevertheless, the government supports sportspersons a lot. That's past now. I want to focus on future," she said.

My Coach Tells me I am a Special Child, says World No. 1 Again Saina Nehwal

The fluctuating and complex nature of rankings in sports has smiled on "special child" Saina Nehwal again. The top Indian shuttler has become world No. 1 less than a fortnight after losing it. Saina, who skipped last week's Singapore Open, is preparing in Bangalore for the Asian badminton championships in China starting April 21.

Saina's elevation to the No. 1 spot has come after Olympic champion Li Xuerui dropped crucial points after skipping the Singapore Open.

Saina, the first Indian woman shuttler to be world number one after her India Open Grand Prix Gold triumph earlier this month, had dropped to second place following her semifinal finish in the Malaysia Open Super Series

"Didn't dream of this happening. Nobody gets to be world number one for the second time," Saina told NDTV on Thursday.

It's been a dream year for Saina so far after she dropped to No. 9 in the world. "I lost confidence. My coach Vimal Kumar helped me get my confidence back. I thank myself too! I have worked very hard," she said.

Last year before the Incheon Asian Games, Saina changed coaches. She left Pulella Gopichand in Hyderabad to join former national coach Vimal Kumar in Bangalore.

"The shift to Bangalore has proved even luckier for me. Vimal Kumar told me I am a special child," said Saina, who almost quit badminton in August last year.

Saina looks very determined to win her next Super Series title in China.

"I hate losing . I am playing the best badminton of my life, but can still do better," she told NDTV.

Saina congratulated Sania Mirza for becoming the world's No. 1 doubles team in tennis.

"Happy to read about Sania. It's not about Hyderabad, it is about the hard work you put in," Saina, a London Olympics bronze medallist, said.