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This week's French Open Super 750 tournament in Paris has been significant for 2012 runner-up Saina Nehwal. This is the first time since her comeback from injury in July that the former World No. 1 has been able to win two consecutive matches at an event.
The wins, in turn, have given the Indian her first quarter-final berth on the BWF circuit in six months, with her previous one coming at the Badminton Asia Championships in April, where she succumbed to Akane Yamaguchi in three gruelling games.
What should give the Indian shuttle queen immense satisfaction is the fact that she has not dropped a single game in her two matches so far this week. Finishing the job in straight games has given her more time to rest and recover, which is vital, considering her fitness struggles in recent months.
While reaching the last-eight has surely boosted Nehwal's waning confidence levels, she needs to be wary of her next opponent. An Se Young is one of the fastest-rising teenagers in the badminton world and has already proved her mettle against the greats of the game.
The 17-year-old has already tasted glory at the New Zealand Open, the Canada Open and the Akita Masters this year, besides reaching a couple of other finals. She also counts the reigning world champion PV Sindhu among her scalps, a feat she managed to accomplish as recently as the Denmark Open last week.
Her continued success has already propelled her to No. 16 in the world and this will be her first meeting with the ninth-ranked Saina Nehwal. Experience-wise, it's definitely the latter who has the edge, however, given how much maturity the sprightly teen has shown against veterans this whole season, an upset cannot be ruled out.
Here is all you need to know about the French Open:
Tournament: Yonex French Open 2019
Category: Super 750
Location: Paris, France
Dates: October 22-27, 2019
Time: (8) Saina Nehwal vs An Se Young at 5:40 pm IST on Friday, October 25, 2019
Where to watch the matches in India?
The French Open matches will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD.
Live Stream Details and Info for the matches:
Live Stream will be available on hotstar.com.
