India Open: Saina, Sindhu advance to quarters

Second-seed and defending champion Saina Nehwal made light work of her opponent as she won the match in straight games against Nitchaon Jindapol of Thailand 21-19, 21-14 to set up a clash with Korean fifth seed Sung Ji Hyun. Saina led the head-to-head record of 4-0 going into the match, but found it tough after Jindapol produced a spirited effort in the first game. The duo matched each other point for point till the break, but the Thai shuttler jumped ahead to a 15-12 lead after the break to take the lead.

However, Saina bounced back by winning three points in a row and made it 15-15. The deadlock continued as the duo reached 19-19, before Saina took the bull by the horns to win 21-19. Having lost the first game agonisingly, Jindapol lost her confidence in the second game and surrendered it cheaply to the Indian with a score 21-14.

The women’s doubles pair of Mohita Sahdev and Sanjana Santhosh also made it to the quarter-final on Thursday after defeating the Indian pair of Ch. Poornima and Rachita Sahdev 21-16, 21-7. They will face the Japanese pair of Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao in the last eight.