Saina Nehwal vs Akane Yamaguchi, Live Badminton Score and Updates, China Open Super Series 2017 Round 2

Defending champion PV Sindhu is now the only Indian left at the 2017 China Open. She plays her second round match later today.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for live coverage of her match.

It was a good fight from Saina in the first game but Akane just imposed her game throughout the second and never relinquished control. Saina found it difficult to read her deceptions and ultimately looked tired and clueless.

Final score: Yamaguchi def Nehwal, 21-18, 21-11 to enter the quarter-finals.

And Yamaguchi takes it, 21-11

Akane goes up to match points.

20-11

Saina pretty much clueless now.

Yamaguchi up 18-11

And it's a FIVE-point advantage for Akane now as Saina fades away further.

16-11 Akane leads

Time running out for the Indian.

She trails 10-14

And Akane goes up further to 13-9

12-9 is the lead for Yamaguchi now

Yamaguchi up 11-8 at the mid-game interval

Yamaguchi goes up to 10-7

Saina still finding Akane's deceptions troublesome....finding it difficult to read and anticipate them.

She trails 6-9

It is 8-5 for the fifth seed now

Saina got two points back but Akane still looking very comfortable.

7-4 is the lead for the Japanese

It's 6-2 for Yamaguchi

And the Japanese has built a 4-2 lead

SECOND GAME

Yamaguchi using her deceptions well to take a 3-2 lead

Wow! What fighting spirit and determination from the Japanese!

She trailed for 80% of the game, yet managed to come back in the end and pocket the first game!

Yamaguchi bags the first game, 21-18.

Game points for Yamaguchi.

20-18

There's a shift in momentum as Akane now snatches the lead from Saina and goes up to 19-18

It's 17-17 as Akane levels it up.

And the game has become a pretty intense one.

Saina leads, albeit only barely, 17-16

Saina once more grabs the advantage and goes up to 15-13

13-13

The two continue to be even as the game becomes a tight one.

12-12

It's 11-11 as Yamaguchi comes back with a bang after the break.

WHAT A POINT!

Saina inches ahead to 11-9 at the mid-game interval.

Saina maintains her two-point lead.

10-8

Yamaguchi pegging Saina back but the Indian still managing to wrest back control every time.

8-6 she leads

Saina now leads 6-5

Saina still has the control in the early stages.

5-3

Nehwal keeps her nose in front.

4-2

Saina makes it 3-1 and looks very pumped early on.

Nehwal surges to 2-1

Saina takes the first point.

The players are on court and the match will begin shortly.

Saina Nehwal, fresh from her National Championships victory, will have to be at her best if she is to ensure her place in the last eight of the China Open Super Series Premier. The Indian will be up against the formidable Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, who is the fifth seed in the draw and ranked number four in the world.

The Indian, who is a former World No. 1, had a comfortable outing in the opening round as she recorded a comfortable 21-12 21-13 victory against USA's Beiwen Zhang. Yamaguchi too, sailed through her first round encounter as she defeated China's Chen Xiaoxin 21-12 21-14.

The Japanese starts as the favourite in this Round of 16 match, given her dominant run over Saina over the last year. She enjoys a 3-1 lead in their head-to-head with Yamaguchi winning the last three matches, all of which came in 2017 -- in Malaysia, Denmark and France.

Stay tuned as we bring to you the latest updates from the match!