‘ India should be proud of Saina, PV’
Manchester City players celebrate their 4- 1 win over Newport County in their FA Cup fifth round match at the Rodney Parade Stadium in Newport, Wales, on Saturday. Guwahati, Feb. 17: P. V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will be once again gunning for their elusive All England title but legendary Dane Morten Frost wants to bet on Japanese Akane Yamaguchi walking away with the coveted silverware at the blue riband event, next month.
India will look to break an 18- year- old jinx when Saina and Sindhu take the court at next month’s Championship. Frost believes that although there won’t be any clear favourites he is ready to stick his neck out for the young Japanese woman.
India’s last All England champion was current chief national coach Pullela Gopichand in 2001 while the legendary Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to achieve the rare feat in 1980.
“It is totally unpredictable in women’s singles, anything can happen. In all honesty, you have to accept that Tai Tzu Ying has not really performed when it matters. I’m a great fan of her game you get tears in your eyes when she plays such a beautiful game. But she hasn’t won any big title,” Frosts aid.
Talking about men’s singles, Frost named Kento Momota and Chen Long as two players who are expected to reach the last four stage.
Frost feels India should be proud of producing players such as Saina, Sindhu, Saina Nehwal
Parupalli Kashyap Kidambi Srikanth
“The big breakthrough in Indian men’s singles was through Kashyap. He was the first one to make himself noticed. Saina came as well in women’s singles and became a good role model and that had a great influence on what happened in last 10 years,” he said.
With four titles in 2017, Srikanth emerged as the brightest face in India’s men’s singles and Frost said it is phenomenal.
Frost was in Guwahati to spot talent at the Senior Nationals as part of a 90day coaching assignment with Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy and Olympic Gold Quest, singled out Assam’s Ashmita Chaliha as one for the future. and