Odishatv Bureau
Jakarta: Defending champion Saina Nehwal of India inched closer to a third successive Indonesian Open Super Series title after advancing to the finals with a hard-fought victory over Chinese Taipei`s Shao Chieh Cheng here on Saturday.

The fourth-seeded Indian won 21-14 14-21 21-17 in a 45-minute battle against giant-killer Cheng, who had created quite a flutter by upstaging top seed Shixian Wang and seventh seed Xin Liu earlier in the tournament.

Saina had to dig deep in her armoury and rely on her power-packed smashes to outpace Cheng, who is known for her fast movement on court.

"I have seen her play in many tournaments. She is a very talented and hard working player. She is very dynamic and moves very fast on court. So it is important to have full force in the smashes or else she can retrieve from anywhere.

It is a good win," Saina told PTI.

It was a sweet revenge for Saina who had lost narrowly to Cheng in the pre-quarterfinals of the Singapore Open in her last tournament.

"I had lost closely to her, that too was my own fault as I had given two points. I was upset after the match but I am happy I could beat her today. She played well but I was pumped up to do well," she said.

Saina termed her win today as a miracle and said she was happy to win today.

"I love the conditions here, I reached finals today and it is a miracle today. It was very tough, I lost to her in Singapore, that was close, she played very well. All I wanted tO do is give my best," Saina said.

Asked about her title-clash against third seed Yihan Wang of China, Saina said the wishes of her fans and family will help her to win her first Super Series of the year.

"Nothing is impossible, I hope tomorrow will be a good day. All Indians will be praying and my fans have always been supporting me, and the crowd has been encouraging, I hope to do well tomorrow," said Saina.

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