'Australian Open victory should spur Saina's prep for Olympics'

Saina Nehwal's personal coach Vimal Kumar is happy that the newly crowned Australian Open Super Series champion "attacked well" and displayed more determination during her hard-earned win over China's Sun Yu.

"She (Saina) started bit slowly today but I am happy to see her attacking well. She did not get the length initially as Sun was dictating the rallies. The most important thing today was her determined play. She really wanted to win badly and that made the difference," Vimal said on Saina's victory.

"In my opinion, she is moving much faster and attacking than ever before. This win should spur her preparations towards the Olympic Games in August. There is a lot of scope for improvement and the next six to seven weeks, which will help her prepare better. It is a good result for Saina," the coach was impressed with his student's progress.

The positive for Vimal has been Saina's ability to come out of tough situations.

"Definitely, she wriggled out of some tough stages against Ratchanok and today against Sun Yu."

Image: Saina Nehwal

Photograph: Olympic Gold Quest/Twitter