Hope floats as Saina gets set for action in Paris

New Delhi :

Even as Saina Nehwal gets ready to face her first test at the Badminton World Championships in Paris, thoughts go back to her defeat in the same tournament in Hyderabad last year.

Her preparation hampered by a bout of chicken pox then, Saina surrendered to her Chinese opponent Wang Lin the quarter-final in front of her home crowd.

But a lot has changed in the last 12 months. Saina has come up the ranks with some stupendous performances which saw her win 3 international titles on the trot and the girl from Hyderabad is now the World No 2.

"All over I have improved  quite a lot over last year and this year and I am in much better shape. I am moving quite good on court", she said.

Her detractors might feel that the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award has come a few years sooner, but Saina has the opportunity to shut them up with a gold at the World Championships.