Saina third in Player of the Year poll

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, who won five major titles last year, has been voted as the third best Badminton Player of the Year 2010 by readers of an international magazine in a recent poll.

Badzine, an international badminton magazine, conducted a poll recently and the readers gave Commonwealth Games gold medallist Saina 34 votes to be ranked third in the best players' list.

China's Lin Dan was voted as the Badminton Player of the Year for 2010 after receiving 110 votes while Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia was a very close runner-up with 97 votes.

Fifteen-year-old Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, who won her second World Junior title as well as her first Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold titles -- was a surprising fourth with 29 votes in the poll.

Saina, 20, won three back-to-back titles in June last year, winning the Indian Grand Prix, Singapore Super Series and defended the Indonesian Super Series.

She also won the Commonwealth gold medal in New Delhi, before clinching the Hong Kong Open in November.

With five major titles in her kitty, Saina came tantalisingly close to reaching the top rank last year when she climbed to world number two spot before slipping to number four.

An injury to her right ankle forced the girl from Hyderabad to pull out of season-ending Indian Open Grand Prix in December. She also missed the Super Series Masters in January this year for the same injury.