Saina falls in final test

8220;She is a better player than I am, but she is beatable. I can beat her,8221; said the 16-year-old after the match.

In Kolkata, Saina8217;s coach Pullela Gopichand said: 8220;Saina called me after the final. She said she started slowly and that she couldn8217;t recover from her previous matches. It8217;s been a long tournament and she said she was tired having played 10 days at a stretch.8221;

National coach Gopichand said he was happy with Saina8217;s performance.

8220;I8217;m very happy with the way she played in the tournament. She8217;s had a good year with 5-6 wins over players ranked in the top-20 in the world,8221; the legendary shuttler remarked.

Reaching the final of a 128-draw event is still a creditable performance by Saina, who has turned 2006 into a real breakthrough year. The Hyderabadi teenager made it big when she won her first international title, the Philippines Open in May, by beating then world No 4 Xu Huwain of Germany on the way. She also reached the quarter finals in two other events which took her ranking from around 100 at the start of the year to the current 32 in the women8217;s circuit.

8216;I was too exhausted8217;

Saina today attributed her defeat in the final to exhaustion which hampered her movement on the court. Saina said having played some tough matches before reaching the final took a heavy toll on her. 8220;I was exhausted. My legs were a bit stiff and I could not move so well on the court,8221; she said. Saina admitted she was excited to play her first final in a world championship but could not give her best today. 8220;I could have played better. I played many negative points. It was not my 100 per cent effort. She caught me more on my backhand smashes and during full court rallies,8221; she said. Saina, however, denied that she was under any pressure. 8220;I did not take much pressure. I know there were many hopes attached to me but I could not help it.8221;