Two-time champion and top seed Saina Nehwal and B.
Two-time champion and top seed Saina Nehwal and B. Sai Praneeth reached the pre-quarter-finals of the women’s and men’s singles competition at the $120,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Basel on Wednesday.
Olympic bronze medallist Saina, who had clinched the Swiss Open in 2011 and 2012, saw off Germany’s Karin Schnaase 21-7, 21-15 in 33 minutes to set up a meeting with Czech’s Kristina Gavnholt at St Jakobshalle.
Sai Praneeth, who had stunned former world no. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the opening round of the All England Championship last week, prevailed over Uzbekistan’s Artyom Savatyugin 21-7 21-10 in a 21-minute match.
He had beaten Switzerland’s Mathias Bonny 21-14, 13-21, 21-6 in the opening round and will take on second seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei on Thursday.
In the opening round, eleventh seed Ajay Jayaram thrashed Malaysia’s Jiann Shiarng Chiang 21-8, 21-17. He will face Japan’s Kenichi Tago next. H.S. Prannoy, seeded 13th, also reached the second round after eking out a 21-19, 21-19 win over Finland’s Kalle Koljonen.
