● Saina Nehwal is certainly going places. Last week she became the first Indian to win a Super Series badminton tournament, which is considered to be an equivalent of a tennis Grand Slam title. All of 19, Saina won the Indonesian Open in Jakarta after she beat World No. 3 Ling Wang of China 12-21, 21-18, 21-9. The win is likely to push her three spots up on the World Ranking chart to No. 5. Saina said she was shocked and happy to win the title and that her next goal was to grab the No. 3 position. Right now, she is looking forward to playing well at the World Cup to be held in Hyderabad next month. Well, with that steely grit, our girl certainly will.

It’s Messi over Ronaldo

● Cristiano Ronaldo may have all the money in the world but he may not be all that glamorous when compared to Barcelona star Lionel Messi. A recent study carried out by Spanish researchers reveals that Messi outdoes Ronaldo in terms of media value. The study said that the Argentine footballer had the highest profile last season. However, Ronaldo remains at the top for being the most expensive player at £82 millions, followed by Messi at £80 millions and Spanish striker Fernando Torres at £67 million.

Hosting jitters

● The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has just declared that it has no plans to shift the venue of the 2010 World Cup hockey tournament from New Delhi. Leandro Negre, the FIH president, has stated that there was no reason to change the venue of the hockey World Cup, at least for the present. The confirmation came after widespread speculation resulting from the Malaysian Hockey Federation announcing that it was being considered as a stand-by.

Kings of the game

● Pakistan stunned the world when they beat Sri Lanka to lift the T20 trophy recently. The win gave back Team Pakistan some of their lost glory. After the bombings in Pakistan that subsequently resulted in the 2011 World Cup matches being shifted from the country, the win will serve to strengthen Pakistan’s position in the international cricket arena. While lifting the winner’s trophy, captain Younis Khan said that it was a gift for the entire nation. He also dedicated the trophy to their late coach, Bob Woolmer. Younis Khan also bade farewell to T20 cricket as he announced his retirement from the format.

You can’t get through this week without…

●…catching tennis greats in action at Wimbledon. From the Men’s Singles Quarter Finals that takes place today to following it through to the finals that is scheduled for July 5, action is the buzzword for this week.