HYDERABAD: Badminton ace Saina Nehwal on Sunday beat Spain’s Carolina Marin 21-18, 21-11 to win the Australian Open in Sydney. It was her seventh Superseries title and the first after the Denmark Open in 2012.
It was a big moment for the World No 8, who had been losing to higher ranked opponents of late and should give her a lot of satisfaction because it came after a win over World No 2 Wang Shixian of China in the semifinals.
“It was a very difficult final because I played with blisters on my leg. It was painful and that’s why this is very special for me. This answers all doubts of people who thought I could never win again,” Saina said from Sydney. The victory made her richer by $56,000.