India Open: Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu hardly break into a sweat

“I was anxious to finish the match and made a lot of unforced errors,” Saina said after her 21-10, 21-17 victory that took 35 minutes. “I gave her six or seven unnecessary points in the end, otherwise the score could have been identical in both games.”

The other reigning diva of Indian badminton, PV Sindhu survived a few tricky moments in the beginning to get past compatriot Arundhati Pantawane 21-17, 21-6 in half an hour. If both Indian stars get past their next opponents, they will be up against each other for a spot in the semifinals. That battle royale would seem too early to most Indian fans, but with the women’s singles draw featuring the likes of Carolina Marin, Ratchanok Intanon and Sung Ji Hyun, the fight for the crown could hardly get tougher.

The last few months after the Rio Olympics have not been easy on Saina. The knee surgery and the resultant rehabilitation have taken a lot out of her famed mental resolve. “I did a lot of stupid stuff and gained a lot of weight. When I started my strengthening regime under Heath Matthews, we needed to take the load off the knee and I had to lose 4-5 kg.”

That Saina is not yet close to her best was evident on the court on Wednesday. She looked rusty at the start, understandable as it is only the third tournament on her comeback. Her movements looked tentative, and she was bailed out by the several unforced errors from Lee’s racquet.

Consistency is an area that Saina still needs to improve in and she was seen shadow practising shots after most errors. Her wry smile when several of her shots did not find the court told their own story. But her class was intact, with several crosscourt half smashes leaving the Taipei girl stranded at the back of the court.

“I am not yet in the zone. After the loss of form due to the injury and surgery, I am still finding my way back. This is a faster court, unlike those in Dubai or the All England, and there is a drift too. She (Lee) was a tricky opponent, and I could not have beaten her being 50 or 60 percent fit,” she said.

Saina is ranked 8th in the world, but her place in the ladder hardly bothers her now.

Saina next plays Thai girl Pornpawee Chochuwong, whom she beat in her first tournament on her comeback to win the Malaysia Masters earlier this year.

Sindhu, on the other hand, is riding the crest of a wave. Against Arundhati, the tall Sindhu was made to look sluggish at the start and even trailed 10-12 at one stage. But once she gathered steam, Sindhu made good use of her superior height, reach and athleticism to finish the match quickly.

She will face Japan’s Saena Kawakami in her next encounter.

On a day when all the top women shuttlers advanced, one of the most eye-catching results was India’s Rituparna Das beating Chinese Chiang Mei Hui in three tough games 19-21, 21-15, 21-19 in 44 minutes.