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Saina Nehwal will begin her quest for a third BWF World Championships medal against World No. 50 Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong in Tokyo on Tuesday, August 23.
This will be the 33rd-ranked Nehwal's first tournament since putting up a spirited effort at the Singapore Open in July. The former World No. 1 upset the ninth-ranked He Bing Jiao and nearly toppled World No. 27 Aya Ohori before bowing out 13-21, 21-15, 20-22 in the quarter-finals.
The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist wasn't a part of India's Birmingham-bound contingent this time around.
Saina Nehwal vs Cheung Ngan Yi head-to-head & prediction
Nehwal leads Ngan Yi 3-1 in the head-to-head, having won their last two encounters.
The Indian needed three games to edge Ngan Yi 20-22, 21-17, 24-22 at the 2018 Denmark Open. However, she had an easier time in their most recent clash, coming through 23-21, 21-17 at the 2019 French Open.
Buoyed by her recent performance in Singapore, the London Olympic bronze medalist will be keen to produce a good run in Tokyo this week. She previously collected a silver medal at the World Championships in 2015 and won a bronze in 2017.
This will further put her at an advantage against Ngan Yi, a player she has beaten thrice already.
The 29-year-old Hong Kong player, meanwhile, hasn't played at all this year and could be rusty coming into this match. Her last match was incidentally at the BWF World Championships last year in December, where she made a first-round exit.
Ngan Yi will clearly enter this contest as the underdog and needs to play at a very high level to get the better of a resurgent Nehwal.
Saina Nehwal vs Cheung Ngan Yi: Date and time
Saina Nehwal will take on Cheung Ngan Yi in the women's singles first-round match (Round of 64) at the 2022 BWF World Championships on Tuesday.
Date: August 23, 2022; Timing: Not before 11 am local time / 7:30 am IST.
Saina Nehwal vs Cheung Ngan Yi: Where to watch & live streaming details
The BWF World Championships 2022 matches are being broadcast live in India on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. The matches can also be streamed live on Voot Select.
Live streaming is available on YouTube on BWF.TV in selected territories as well.
