Coach Gopichand set for main draw after qualifying setback in Asian event

P Gopichand, India's badminton coach wasn't a very happy man after both PC Thulasi and Gayatri Vartak crashed out of the Badminton Asia Championship qualifiers yesterday. Thulasi is a national seniors runner-up and Gayatri, the fourth-ranked Indian.

Grooming a tigress: P Gopichand and Saina Nehwal during the World Badminton Championship in Hyderabad, 2009

Despite the setback, the former All England champion, expressed confidence in other shuttlers, including Saina Nehwal, to do well in the main draw starting today. Gopi tipped the top-seeded mixed doubles duo of Jwala Gutta and V Diju including the two contenders in the men's draw to do well.

The Badminton Asia Championships will be played at the newly built sports complex at Siri Fort, Delhi. Excerpts from an interview with Gopichand:

India has not filled all the spots given by the Asian Confederation in the main draw. Why?
We have missed some of the spots since our top juniors are out for the championships in Mexico. These juniors are also ranked at senior levels and I did not want to put in players just for the heck of it. But yes, this also shows that Indian badminton has to be more broad-based if we are to compete at the world level. We have to have more players of high standards. Our base has to be stronger.

How well is Saina Nehwal placed for this event, considering that she is the top seed?
She has got a good chance but her draw is not soft. In fact, it is very tricky as right from the first round where she takes on the Thai player, Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, the waters will be dangerous for Saina. She has had very close matches in the past against Porntip and the Malaysian, Juila Pei Xian Wong. If she is able to navigate these two rounds, she will run into another Malaysian Mew Choo Wong who defeated her the last time they played. So I think that even though she is her good, confident self and has put in a lot of hard work after the All England championships, she will have to be on top of her game.