Zeenews Bureau
Paris: India’s badminton ace Saina Nehwal stormed into the quarterfinals of World Badminton Championships. She beat 13th seeded Ella Diehl of Russia 21-14, 21-18 in a sheer display of her unmatched talent.
Going into the tournament as the strongest threat to Chinese shuttlers’ dominance, Nehwal kept her cool in the high intensity match. Her opponent of the third round, Ella Diehl had beaten Malaysian Mew Choo Wong but Saina proved to be the better player on the occasion.
But minutes before the start of Saina`s match, world number one and top seed Yihan Wang of China was stunned byJapan`s Eriko Hirose in a three-game thriller that lasted an hour fifteen minutes. Hirose won 20-22, 21-16, 21-18.
However, Saina did not show any nerves today nor did she carry forward the sluggishness that marked her match against Chinese Taipei`s Chen in the second round.
The Indian was aggressive from the start and knowing that her opponent Diehl liked long rallies kept the pace slow and killed the game in mid court.
Within minutes of the start Saina was off to a 10-5 lead as Diehl made errors at the net.Saina`s main weapon, the drop shot, was again used to good effect as thrice in a row the Russian could not pick up the shuttle as it dropped inches off the net on her side.
At 18-14, Nehwal reeled off three points in a row, forcing an error at the net from Diehl to win the opening game 21-14.
In the second game, Saina again started off winning five consecutive points on her serve before Diehl won her opening point on a net error by the Indian.
Both the players were a little more wary as the Russian tried to force the pace with a combination of drop shots and high tosses.At 6-6, it seemed that the game would be tough and hard fought, but changed her strategy and played mid court more often and avoided net play till she had a lead of 15-10.
When it almost seemed that the game would go in Saina`s favour, the Russian made a last ditch effort and equalized with some smart net play at 17-17.
But Saina`s got her composure back to take the lead at 20-18 and finally pocketed the match when Diehl sent the shuttle across the side line.
Saina will next take on the winner of the match between sixth seed Chinese Shixian Wang and 11th seed Jie Yao of the Netherlands.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.