Sridhar too good for Gade,in quarters

Nine quiet weeks spent exclusively on building his strength after the looming question mark over his fitness have seen shuttler Anup Sridhar...

Nine quiet weeks spent exclusively on building his strength after the looming question mark over his fitness have seen shuttler Anup Sridhar return to competitive play with the loudest bang. Sridhar scalped Danish world No 2 Peter Gade on Thursday at the Singapore Super Series to reach the quarter-finals. Playing the second seed in Round 2,the Indian,ranked 39th in the world,attacked relentlessly to come out with a 21-19 16-21 21-13 win in 59 minutes.

It is ironic,however,that Sridhars biggest win since his triumph over then Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat at the last World Championships in 2007 has come with him slated to being forced into staring at a bare schedule during Augusts world meet in Hyderabad. Sridhar failed to qualify for the event,and so,this stunning win over the legendary Gade has come when it was least expected.

Aggressive approach

Sridhar came into the match with only a pair of qualifying matches providing the tune-up. Dominating the net and following coach Atik Jauhris instructions to the last syllable,he hung in during the crucial points,donning his aggressive mane. He broke at 14-10 in the first game to grab the initiative,then conceded the lead just once before snatching the first game 21-19. Trying a few risky shots in the second,Sridhar faltered as Gade drew level,before picking seven straight points in the third to march to a famous win.

Sridhar had lost his form,ranking points,fitness and some measure of motivation while grappling with a dodgy ankle and stiff comeback targets,so the last two months were spent in the gym with Bangalore-based physical trainer Muthu. The improved fitness clearly showed, said Vimal Kumar,Sridhars coach at the Prakash Padukone academy,adding: He put in a lot of effort into regaining his shape,and also worked on the defence and net-game. The big-hitter had also been playing doubles occasionally to deal with the rival ploys of attacking his body.

Having missed out on qualifying for the world meet,Sridhar had conceded that he had neither the ranking nor the performance to make the grade. He wasnt showing progress,and we discussed his options after the nationals, Kumar added.

Up next is Thai Boonsak Ponsana. Hell have to play consistently. Its a good win,but only a good beginning to what is expected of him in the coming tournaments, Kumar said.

Saina in quarters

Saina Nehwal played an uncharacteristically subdued match as she downed 19th ranked Indonesian Adrianti Firdasari 21-18 17-21 21-17 in a 50-minute marathon. Nehwal used her net-play effectively,relying more on drops and half-smashes,to set up a quarter-final clash with Chinese Lin Wang. I sensed she was weak at the net,and I tried more to control the game than hit all-out, Nehwal said.

Story continues below this ad

The sixth seed has never played Lin before,but reckons shell be quite a handful with her attacking style of play. Itll be tough,but Im getting used to the difficult encounters now, she said.