HYDERABAD: Extraordinary. This word is thrown around quite frequently when Tai Tzu Ying engages her opponents. She forced the commentators to use it every now and then in the Denmark Open final on Sunday. It took her 52 minutes to stifle Saina Nehwal’s challenge with a 21-13, 13-21, 21-6 victory. And with that win, Tai proved that she remains the Kryptonite for Saina and PV Sindhu.
This was the Chinese Taipei player’s 11th straight victory against Saina. The last time the Hyderabadi got past Tai was way back in March 2013 at the Swiss Open. In fact, the previous instance of her even winning a game against the 24-year-old was almost three years ago at the Dubai World Superseries Finals. Sindhu’s head-to-head record against her stands at 3-10. It has been more than two years since she beat her (Rio Olympics).
It is not that Saina and Sindhu have only struggled when they face Tai. The other players belonging to the top echelon, such as the Japanese duo of Nozomi Okuhara and Akane Yamaguchi, have also given them moments of anguish, but they have always been able to strike back with wins in major events.
So, what makes the Indians wilt when they see Tai? “She (Tai) has played some fantastic badminton in the last couple of years. I think, not only she is extremely deceptive, but the strength and power of her legs make her quite formidable,” chief coach Pullela Gopichand told Express after the match.
But, Saina’s former coach Vimal Kumar believes there are ways through which Tai’s deception can be ‘nullified.’ “They (Indians) have to play faster. If they try to move diagonally on the court then her deception could be nullified. And not letting her get under the shuttle will also help. Her game is deceptive. You need to move well. Saina did that in the second game, and dominated it. But Tai gained a big lead in the final game quite early, and then Saina yielded,” Vimal said.
When the same question was put forth to Parupalli Kashyap, who watched the match in the company of coach Siyadath Ullah, he told: “I do not think defeating Tai is difficult for Saina. It is just a matter of time. She just needs to be a little more disciplined with the strategies.” Asked whether Saina had gotten tired considering she put in a lot of effort to win the second game, Kashyap replied in the negative. “It is not about putting more effort. You have to play the right game from the start.”
All things considered, there were positive signs as to how to crack the Tai code. “I’m happy with the way she has progressed in the last few months. I think the way she played the second game is really encouraging for the future,” Gopichand summed up.
vishal@newindianexpress.com