Saina says she was confident of winning start

Saina Nehwal said she was aware of the shortcomings of her rival as she made a confident start to the Indian Open Super Series by defeating Hong Kongs Pui Yin Yip 21-14 21-6, here on Wednesday.

"I have defeated her for the third or fourth time easily. I am confident of my smashes and I settled quickly today. She doesn't defend well and made some easy mistakes. I think she has a mental block because she generally plays well against the top seeds," Saina said.

Saina though said she never took her rival lightly.

"She sometimes is very erratic. But you have to be always up on your feet as she can change her game anytime. In the first set she was good. She plays fast and her smashes are very dangerous," she said.

"The court was very fast today. Usually we are more used to playing in slower courts but today the shuttle was going out and going sideways too often, so I had to play with a lot more control," she added.