Korea Open: Saina powers into quarters

World No.4 Saina Nehwal powered past Cheng Shao Chieh of Taipei to enter the quarterfinals of the Korea Open Superseries, the richest prize money tournament in badminton, at Seoul on Thursday. Her compatriots Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, however, fell in the second round.

Saina had no trouble against Cheng, a dangerous player who reached the final of the World Championships in 2011, dismissing her in just over half-an-hour 21-14 21-10. Saina ran off to a quick start and never allowed Cheng to get close in the first game, rocketing to a 15-4 lead and closing out at 21-14. The second game was tighter in the early part, with Cheng going 7-3 ahead, but then Saina took eight points in a row and continued with that momentum to seal the match.

Meanwhile, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were dismissed by the top seeded Chinese pair of Wang Xiaoli/ Yu Yang 21-10 21-17 in 34 minutes. The first game was a whitewash for the Chinese but the second game was closer, as the Indians remained within reach and even levelled at 13-all, but Xiaoli and Yu Yang took the next five points in a row and ended the contest. Saina next plays either Jiang Yanjiao (China) or world junior champion Ratchanok Inthanon (Thailand).