21-15, 21-14. On Wednesday, Saina Nehwal won in straight games to knock out defending women's champion Nozomi Okuhara.
While it wasn't a straightforward victory, it was one that exposed Okuhara's frailties. Saina, who led from the start and didn't once fall behind, now has a 6-1 career lead over her rival.
Okuhara was not her normal self but she did not let Saina trample her the way PV Sindhu dominated Metta Poulsen earlier in the day.
Both Saina and Okuhara have been recovering from injuries picked up last year; Saina is still testing her right knee, while Okuhara was playing her first competitive tournament since suffering a shoulder injury last November. Naturally, both players were cautious.
"You can't play such difficult shots if you really have a major shoulder injury," Saina told ESPN after the game. "She was playing extremely well. She was actually playing better than in the previous two matches we have played. Today's match was much more difficult because she was much better.
"She was much faster. She had lot of deception and played lot of different shots. Her speed was fast. Her tosses were not like where I could anticipate and smash it. It was very perfect - the shots were going to the baseline and was powerful. She was not hitting anything lose and giving me an opportunity."
Since surgery, the question for Saina has been whether she can sustain herself against top opponents. Yet, if there were any nerves on Wednesday, Saina masked them with confidence. Okuhara, the Olympics bronze medalist, was clearly not yet at 100%. Known for her durability and endurance on the court, Okuhara struggled for rhythm, which allowed Saina to take an early lead.
The match started with cautious stroke-play which translated into frequent rallies, most of which had Sania come out on top as Okuhara faltered often. Despite her indifferent form, Okuhara did step up. Trailing 13-8, Okuhara came up with a superb deceptive drop shot that left Saina stranded at the back of the court after a rally lasting nearly 20 shots. The Japanese took the next three points and it was game on.
"It is tough on the legs when you play long matches. I am happy she could pull it out in two games" Coach Vimal Kumar
Going into the match, Saina's coach Vimal Kumar had mentioned that mobility could be one area that opponents would test Saina frequently. But Saina was agile and kept the pressure in rallies. Okuhara succumbed to the pressure when she ended a 20-shot rally by smashing into the net, which put Saina on game point. The Japanese then hit a cross-court shot wide and Saina had the first game.
The pressure mounted on Okuhara. Saina was returning well, forcing Okuhara to take risks and it didn't end well for the world No. 11. Saina took a 10-5 lead in no time and moved into a dominant position quickly in the second game. The lead grew to nine points at 18-9 and the Japanese then served long to take Saina two points short of victory.
Okuhara then picked up five points in a row, which gave her an opening. The momentum faded, though, when she hit a return flat into the net, allowing Saina to serve for the match. Another error, this time a failed drop shot, gave Saina the match in 38 minutes.
Vimal said after the game that Saina countered Okuhara's "sticky" game pretty well.
"Okuhara's game is such that she is a very sticky player," he said. "Once she starts retrieving, she can clear the high deep shots, she can come up with sharp drops and then she varies her pace and that is how she can control the game."
Okuhara had deployed a similar strategy while winning the All England crown last year, getting the better of World No. 1 Carolina Marin in the semifinals. Vimal was happy that Saina came out unscathed. A key factor for players, Kumar pointed out, was the slowness of the shuttles and the lesser bounce the courts at the Barclaycard Arena had to offer.
"It is tough on the legs when you play long matches. I am happy she could pull it out in two games."