India's Sania Nehwal wins Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold final

Bangkok, June 10 (ANI): Indian badminton star Sania Nehwal on Sunday won the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold final, beating second seed Thai star Ratchanok Inthanon in three sets.

Nehwal beat Inthanon 19-21, 21-15, 21-10. The match lasted a little over an hour.

Former badminton star Aparna Popat said that the win would boost Sania's confidence ahead of the London Olympics.

Coach Pullela Gopichand described it as a good win, as it was a tough match. He said that the two players had been tied one all going into the match.

Sania had earlier outlasted local favourite Porntip Buranaprasertsuk with a straight-game win in Bangkok on Saturday. Saina won that match 24-22 21-11 to keep her unbeaten record against third seed Buranaprasertsuk intact, extending it to 4-0 overall.

Inthanon had earlier entered the finals after thrashing China's Lin Wang 21-13 21-19 in her semifinal match.

Saina had defended her title at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold in March in Basel, Switzerland early this year.

Gopichand said Saina has displayed tremendous grit to bounce back from a scratchy start.

Inthanon and Saina have faced each other thrice and it is the Indian who now holds the edge at 2-1.

Inthanon had triumphed against Sania in the Sudirman Cup in May last year, but Saina took revenge by beating her in the Japan Open in September. (ANI)