Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu cruise, Olympic champion Li falls

Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu continued their winning run at the Malaysia Open badminton championships with contrasting victories to reach the quarter-finals of the women’s singles competition in Shah Alam on Thursday.

After Sindhu edged out Korean seventh seed Sung Ji Hyun 22-20, 21-17 in a 47-minute clash, third seed Saina brushed aside another Korean, Bae Yeon Ju, 21-10, 21-16 in a match that lasted a little over half an hour.

Sindhu almost blew a 9-6 and 20-18 lead in the opening game before managing to pip Sung Ji. In the second game, she fought back from 6-8 down to finally break away at 15-15 with five straight points, reaching 20-15.

The 20-year-old from Hyderabad will next meet former world champion and two-time India Open winner Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, while Saina has set up a meeting with Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, who stunned All England champion Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, seeded 8th, 21-12, 22-20.

Olympic bronze medallist Saina stamped her authority against Bae, reaching a 11-3 lead at the interval in both games and didn’t give much chance to her opponent to make a comeback.

Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying stunned Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China, seeded second, 14-21, 21-18, 21-1 in another second round match.

Among others, world no. 1 Carolina Marin, China’s Wang Shixian and Wang Yihan, men’s second seed Lee Chong Wei, China’s Lin Dan, seeded 4th, Denm-ark duo of Viktor Axelsen (6th seed) and fifth seed Jan O Jorgensen all reach-ed the quarter-finals.