NEW DELHI: It’s well known that Carolina Marin is just like her idol Rafael Nadal on court. Aggressive. Every winning point and you can hear her scream her lungs out. On Friday at the India Open, she was doing exactly that. But there was one difference. The screams were of despair as she went down to Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong 21-12, 21-19 in the quarterfinals.
“Maybe I was not in rhythm. But that’s my problem and I need to control that. Now I have to go back to Spain after two months away. We need to see what happened today and how we can keep going forward,” she said.
Ever since winning that coveted gold in Rio two years back, things have not been smooth for the 24-year-old. Last year she won the Japan Open, a Superseries title after almost two years. But that was it. Her form was so bad that she even dropped to No 5 in world rankings.
A lot of factors can result in a dip in form. In Marin’s case, a minor hip injury suffered during the Hong Kong Open last year might be one. In fact, the injury also forced her from not participating in the Superseries Final in Dubai. She had also mentioned that she was recovering slowly, during the recently concluded Premier Badminton League.
On Friday, her body language suggested she was not fully fit. There were flashes of brilliance, especially in the second game which was close. The absence of long-time coach Fernando on the sidelines could be another reason for the slump. But Marin was quick to deny that. “ Fernando is not here. But I have a coach with me to help. Please don’t ask about Fernando.”
However, Marin’s explanation after her loss suggested she was not focussed. It is very strange for an athlete of her calibre to be distracted by such small issues. There were times when Marin was seen having a chat with the umpire. And she said she was a little too bothered by that.
“The game today was very irritating for myself. I think I made a big mistake by focusing on the umpire when he wanted to change the shuttle. I was very irritated with him. It’s like he wanted to be the protagonist in the match, which he did. I am frustrated with myself because I couldn’t control myself during the game.”
Bad day for Indians
Saina Nehwal suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Beiwen Zhang of USA to conclude a disappointing day for shuttlers from the country. Zhang, who was playing with a minor injury, eased past Saina 21-10, 21-13. With the absence of World No 1 Viktor Axelsen and Tai Tzu Ying, a lot was expected from Indian players. Many were even tipping an all-India women’s final. But only PV Sindhu and the mixed doubles pair of Pranav Chopra and Sikki Reddy survived after Day 3.
“I thought I was fit but I was not. I was prepared for long rallies because she likes slow shuttles. So I prepared to defend like crazy. But she didn’t have the greatest day. My joints and tendons were torn in December. I couldn’t wear shoes for three weeks. I couldn’t wear slippers because they wouldn’t fit. It still hurts when I warm up. Now, I am not very consistent. Sometimes I play bad and sometimes I play well,” Zhang said after her win.
Quarterfinals: Women’s: Saina Nehwal lost to Beiwen Zhang (US) 10-21, 13-21; PV Sindhu bt Beatriz Corrales (ESP) 21-12, 19-21, 21-11. Men’s: P Kashyap lost to Qiao Bin (CHN) 16-21, 18-21; B Sai Praneeth lost to Chou Tien Chen (TPE) 15-21, 13-21; Sameer Verma lost to Iskandar Zulkarnain (MAS) 17-21, 14-21. Mixed doubles: N Sikki Reddy/Pranaav Jerry Chopra bt Han Chengkai/Cao Tong Wei (CHN) 21-8, 21-13; Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Ashwini Ponnappa lost to Mathias Christiansen/Christinna Pedersen (DEN) 21-17, 21-11.