Shuttling on

I have never played 15 matches in so few days, said Saina Nehwal on Sunday. On Sunday she successfully defended her badminton Indonesian Open title,and that is in itself no mean achievement. That crown,won a year ago,was her first Super Series victory. But Nehwals emphasis on the 15 matches compressed into 19 days captures her larger achievement. In the days before the Indonesian defence,she won the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold and the Singapore Open her second Super Series.

The endurance test matters for Nehwal. For someone whose failing is said to be an impatience to close out matches,and so lose in the process of forcing points when they could have been hers,the string of wins is not just fine refutation its a declaration that a new phase in her career has begun. Also,Nehwal inhabits a sport in which the greats often hunt in packs with their compat-riots. Hers is a lonesome quest. When she announced her potential for greater things by almost getting through the quarter-finals at the 2008 Olympics,for instance,that was it for her. There was no way to find a partner of her calibre to have a shot at a doubles title,to remain immersed in top-quality competition in the company of badminton mates.

Even as shes charted her own path,Nehwals three-week run puts her in a special zone: she no longer punches above her weight to aim for a title now. Now on,winning will be expected of her. Thats an achievement too.