Indian badminton sensation Saina Nehwal made her foray into the semi-finals of the China Open on Friday with ease after getting past Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the quarter-finals.
The 25-year-old Indian recorded the best of victories in straight sets. While she won the first game 21-16, she dominated completely in the second game to record a 21-13 score.
It was a tight battle in the first game as both Saina and Okuhara were locked 6-6 at one point, but it was the Indian star shuttler's experience that turned out to be the key as she got the upper hand and took the score to 10-7 with a couple of smashes.
The inspiring confidence by Saina and the elan took her to 17-12 and 20-15. The Japanese had nothing in sight to make a comeback, and the Indian turned on the spotlight on herself by taking the first game 21-16.
The second game started with the Indian notching up some quick points to record a 10-3 edge just under five minutes. It was 18-10 within the next ten minutes, and Saina was just moments close from making it to the final of the tournament.
It was 20-13 just minutes later, and the game was sealed after Saina got one more point. The second game was 21-13 in favour of the Indian, and the win also helped her seal the semis berth of the tournament.
For Okuhara, it was the numerous unforced errors that played the spoilsport.
