Saina renews bid for first title this season

Jakarta: Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal will continue her quest for a maiden title this season to boost her confidence ahead of the Rio Olympics when she begins her campaign at the $900,000 (Dh3.3 million) Indonesia Open Super Series Premier starting with the qualifiers in Jakarta on Monday.

After missing a few tournaments due to a nagging ankle injury, Saina recovered well to notch up a consistent run of form, reaching the semi-finals in a slew of events, including the India Open, Malaysia Open and Asian Championship. En route to the Indian women’s team’s bronze medal winning feat at the Uber Cup, Saina won all the matches in the league stage but lost to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and China’s Li Xuerui in the knockouts.