Saina Nehwal has made a mark as a world-class successful badminton player. The Indian superstar, after winning the India Open Super Series, looked sharp as she continued her winning streak in the ongoing Malaysia Open Super series as well.
Right from the India Open late last month, she has not lost a single set, including the Malaysia Open.
Nehwal has progressed into the quarter finals of the competition after defeating Chinese player Yao Xue in straight sets with the score reading 21-13 and 21-9. She, in fact, demolished the Chinese in just 30 minutes.
It was an emphatic performance by the Indian and looks on course for another title in Malaysia, but she will have to beat some huge players in the tournament if she is to walk away with yet another title.
The Hyderabad girl will meet another Chinese, Sun Yu, in the quarter finals of the competition and with the form she is in, it could be an easy game for the World's No. 1 badminton player, even though she does not take any opponent lightly.
But, Nehwal's biggest test could be against the winner of the other quarter finals, which is expected to be played between top Chinese shuttlers, Li Xuerui and Wang Yihan. The winner of the match will face Nehwal in the semis, provided the Indian defeats Sun Yu.
Xuerui is the top seed in the competition, while Yihan is the fifth seed.
If things go accordingly for the Indian, it could be a repeat of the All England Open Championship finals, which was played between Nehwal and Spaniard Carolina Marin. It could prove to be a huge game for her, considering the Spaniard defeated her in the finals of the All England Open.
Of late, she has been moving in the court very well and has been using her smash to full effect against her opponent.
However, there was some disappointing news for the women's doubles team of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who has been ousted from the competition after losing to an Indonesian pair.
Where to Watch Live
The Malaysia Open Super Series Premier Live starts at 3 pm local time (12:30 pm IST, 3 am ET and 7 am GMT).
Viewers in India can watch the Live coverage on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD with live streaming option on Starsports.com from 2:30pm.
Live updates of all the matches during the competition can be followed in the live scorecard.
