Saina faces Jiang test

NEW DELHI: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal will have to shrug off the Indian Open disappointment as she faces defending champion Jiang Yanjiao of China in the first round of the Asian badminton Championship starting in Suwon, Korea on Monday.
Seventh seed Saina, who lost to Julia Pei Xian Wong in the quarter-finals of the recently-concluded Indian Open in Hyderabad, will have to put up a consistent performance as even if she gets past the former World Junior champion, Jiang, she will, in all probability, bump into world No.5 Lin Wang or Malaysian world number no. 15 Wong Mew Choo in the last eight round.
However, Saina will be hoping to meet Mew Choo in the quarter-finals as she had defeated the Malaysian on her home turf in the World Super Series Masters Final last year.
"I tend not to think about my opponents strengths or if she is the defending champion. I know I am playing well and she would be also in fine form as she has been training hard for sometime now, so it would be a tough match," Saina said.