TNN

Kolkata, Sep 20: Saina Nehwal is up to No. 12 in the world rankings and the dream of an Indian lady shuttler breaking into the top 10 is within striking distance.

It's not something beyond the Beijing Olympics quarterfinalist. "Definitely not," former national champion Madhumita Bist says. "It will be difficult no doubt, but it is something that Saina can achieve," the government spotter for badminton told ToI.

Even Saina's coach Pullela Gopi Chand feels the 19-year-old Hyderabad-based girl will break into the top-10 in due course, but agrees with Madhumita that the road ahead is quite tough.

"Just to maintain her current ranking, she'll have to reach the semi-finals and finals quite consistently, something much easier said than done," said Gopi, a former All-England champion. "Consistency will be the key for her now."

Saina won the title in Chinese Taipei on Sunday, but lost in the first round of Japan Open on Wednesday. "Following the triumph in Chinese Taipei, she had to straightaway travel to Japan. She was obviously drained out." Gopi said.

"Rankings are important, but Saina has to play more big events now," Gopi added. "It's crucial that Saina continues to play well, and the rankings will take care of themselves."