Sayali Gokhale had seemed intent on committing hara-kiri but pulled herself back from the brink to win the third match of the Uber Cup Asian qualifiers tie against Hung Shih Han in Nakornratchasima,Thailand 15-21 21-10 23-21. Gokhales win set up an inspired charge from the Indian women,who closed in on a Uber Cup finals spot after edging out Chinese Taipei 3-2 to enter the semi-finals. Saina Nehwal began confidently for the Indians,winning 21-15 21-14 against Chen Hsiao Huan,and Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa put the finishing touches on the victory with a comprehensive 21-16 21-16 win to shut out Cheng Wen Hsing and Chang Hsin Yun in the fourth match. The top three finishers will make the cut,while the fourth-placed team will square off against the European fourth-placed Holland. However,before the calculations began,it was the 23-year-old Gokhale who was egged on by the squad with the teams level at a match apiece. Starting slowly,Gokhale had lost the opening game,but found her rhythm as her strategy kicked in. Hung saw her attack and smashes negated by the Indians change of pace,who took the second game 21-10. She then ran up a massive 16-8 lead in the decider,before going into a trance as she conceded five quick points in a row. Regaining her composure,Gokhale rallied doggedly to induce mistakes from her opponent and fended off a match point before prevailing. Im happy I could win this at the right time, she said. Earlier,Nehwals opponent had been relatively easy to fend off after the world No 7 took the lead in both games. Everyone played well. It is quite unbelievable because Asia is a tough zone to qualify from, Nehwal said. This was a must-win,so there was some tension. Sayalis match was crucial, the Hyderabad player added. The mens team who had qualified for the Thomas Cup finals earlier went down 3-1 to Korea in the classification semis,and will now play Japan for the third place.
