Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday congratulated India's top women's shuttler Saina Nehwal after the 25-year-old was assured of becoming the World No.1.
Saina on Saturday reached her maiden women's singles final of the $275,000 India Open Superseries by defeating unseeded Japanese Yui Hashimoto 21-15, 21-11 in only 44 minutes at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here.
The win, and the loss of Spain's Carolina Marin in the semi-final, assured the Hyderabadi of the No.1 spot when the Badminton World Federation (BWF) releases its revised rankings on Thursday.
"Well done and keep smashing them on! A true role model for aspiring sports persons in the country," he wrote on soial networking site Twitter.
"Congratulations to @NSaina on becoming the first Indian woman to be the World Number 1."
