Can Saina end a disappointing year on a high note?

She will clash with Yihan Wang in the finals, who has a 3-0 head-to-head record over the Indian shuttler.

Zeenews Sports Bureau

New Delhi: Saina Nehwal defeated Tine Baun of Denmark on Saturday to become the first Indian singles player to reach the summit clash of BWF Super Series Finals. She will now face China’s world no. 1 Yihan Wang in the summit clash on Sunday. Saina left behind a lean patch with a stunning win over Chinese Wang Xin on Friday that was followed with a straight-set victory over Denmark’s world no. 5 and two times All England champion, Tine Baun in the semifinals. She will clash with Yihan Wang, who has a 3-0 head-to-head record over the Indian shuttler. A win here will wipe the memories of an otherwise disappointing year for the Hyderabadi that saw her winning only a single title besides parting ways with national coach Pullela Gopichand in April. It has been a tough year for her as besides battling dip in form and failure to match the success of the last season; she was troubled by an ankle injury during the early part of the year. Saina had a superb 2010 season when she won a hat-trick of titles and a Commonwealth Games gold medal. However, 2011 turned out to be a dampener as she managed to pocket only Swiss Grand Prix gold and two runners-up finishes in Malaysia and Indonesia. Saina came into the semifinals after topping the Group B in the round robin league matches.