New Delhi: World No. 6 and defending champion Saina Nehwal survived an 83 minutes battle to advance to the semi-finals of India Open on Friday.
The battle between Saina Nehwal and Sung Ji Hyun was never a letup in the tension. Starting when Nehwal was forced repeatedly to come from behind before fighting tooth and nail to outlast No. 5 seed South Korean Sung Ji Hyun 19-21, 21-14, 21-19 in a match that witnessed long rallies and a lot of unforced errors.
The Olympic bronze medalist Nehwal will next clash with World No. 2 Li Xuerui of China, who was also stretched to the limit by compatriot and No. 6 seed Wang Shixian 22-20, 12-21, 21-17 in the quarters.
Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and South Korean Bae Yeon Ju will play each other for a final berth in the other women’s semi-finals on Saturday.
Intanon staged a great escape to prevent late surge from Taiwan’s eighth seeded Tai Tzu Ying by winning 12-21, 21-14, 22-20 in a closely contested quarter final match. South Korean Bae Yeon Ju also engaged in a thrilling battle with India’s P.V Sindhu and ultimately came out triumphant with 15-21, 21-15, 21-15.
Below are semi-finals matches for women’s doubles and mixed doubles on Saturday:
Women’s doubles:
Nitya Krishinda Maheswari / Greysia Polii (Indonesia) vs Misaki Matsutomo / Ayaka Takahashi (Japan)
Naoko Fukuman/ Kurumi Yonao (Japan) vs Christinna Pedersen/ Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Denmark)
Mixed doubles:
Bodin Issara / Savitree Amitrapai (Thailand) vs Riky Widianto / Puspita Richi Dili (Indonesia)
Lu Kai / Huang Yaqiong (China) vs Ko Sung Hyun/ Kim Ha Na (Korea)
