After German stint, Chetan hopes to strike gold at home

India’s top ranked shuttler Chetan Anand has his priorities clear for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

While he admits that a win in the prestigious Syed Modi memorial Grand Prix tournament here will set the right momentum for upcoming international meets next year, he is not too impressed by the lower-ranked foreign players in the fray. “I had won both the individual and team championship bronze in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Now, with the prestigious event being held in India, I would settle for nothing less than gold. To be honest, playing in India amid home support will be easier,” Chetan said, talking to The Indian Express.

The world No 17, though, insists that participation and a good show here will “go a long way in helping Indian players assess their fitness level and all top players should take part in such reputed tournaments. I have participated in Syed Modi tournament a number of times, winning once and reaching the final a couple of times,” he said, adding that the exposure here will also help prepare the Indians for the Malaysian and Korean Super Series events, to be held in January next year.

Talking about his own preparations, Chetan said, “I have been training abroad in patches for the past one year. I play for German Club Berlin where I often play with some of the top players. All this will help me in the Commonwealth Games.” The 29-year-old is content with the development of the game in the country. “Teams are being sent abroad for exposure, including the youth teams. For seniors, I think a trip to Denmark or Indonesia could do wonders,” he said.

Top seeds Saina Nehwal and Chetan Anand notched up contrasting wins to cruise into the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament on Wednesday.

While Saina blew away Juhi Dewangan 21-5 21-2 in just 14 minutes to set up a clash with Chitralekha, Chetan took 29 minutes to prevail over Srujan Nandaluri 21-19 21-12. He will next take on Indonesian Adnan Fauzi in the next round.

Among other results, Anup Sridhar beat Prakash Jolly 21-13 21-15, RMV Guru sai Dutt thrashed Ajay K Kumar 21-8 21-6, Ajay Jayaram pipped German Marcel Reuter 21-16 21-13, P Kashyap trounced K Nandgopal 21-10 21-16 and Sai Praneet B beat Tanvir Gill 21-15 21-17.

In the women’s section, PV Sindhu stunned eighth seed Sayali Gokhale 21-17 21-10, seventh seed Trupti Murgunde beat Sara Naqvi 21-9 21-15, Mohita Sahdev beat Rachita Sahdev 21-11 21-10, Aditi Mutatkar defeated Saili Rane 21-8 21-7 and Neha Pandit brushed aside Nansala Tamang of Nepal 21-9 21-8 to reach the second round.