HYDERABAD: After tasting tremendous success in 2012, the easy draw at the BWF World Super Series Finals offers Saina Nehwal a wonderful chance to cap the year on a fine note.Clubbed in Group B along with non-Chinese opponents – Juliane Schenk of Germany, Tine Baun of Denmark and Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand – Saina can fancy her chances of reaching the semifinals of the Super Series Finals without much difficulty.In the draw released at Shenzhen, China, on Tuesday, two Chinese shuttlers – Olympic champion Li Xuerui and Asian Games champion Wang Shixian – are in Group A.Ji Hyun Sung of Korea and Eriko Hirose of Japan complete the group. As two players from each group progress to the semifinals, Saina can avoid Li Xuerui if she tops Group B. Only eight top players in the Super Series circuit qualify for this $500,000 event.
Xuerui, who is in the form of her life, won seven major international titles in 2012, including the Olympics gold and the All England crown, has qualified for the Super Series Finals for the first time. She has won 51 of her 56 matches this year. Interestingly, Saina and PV Sindhu affected two of those five losses.Moreover, the absence of defending champion Wang Yihan makes it easier for Saina. However, the 22-year-old, the only Indian to qualify for the event, believes it would be very difficult to emerge triumphant at this premier event.”All of them are top players. They are in this event only because they did well at the Super Series events this year. Moreover, everyone is in great form. So, it would be tough,” Saina said.But the only Indian shuttler to win an Olympic medal did not hide her strong desire to bag the title.”Yeah, I would love to win this event and I would do whatever it requires to clinch the title. There are no second thoughts about that. Though I am yet to recover from my leg injury, I think I am in good shape. I don’t care much about injuries and am learning to win with them,” added Saina, who will face Tine Baun in her first Group B match on Wednesday.