11:49 (IST)1 DEC 2016
11:47 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Every match is important for Saina at this stage as she needs to get back the feel of high-level competition again. She might be struggling and it is not unexpected given she is recovering from a surgery but as the matches wear on, she is also getting back her fighting spirit. And that is so good to see!
11:45 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina Nehwal thus moves into the quarter-finals where she faces World No. 224 Zhang Yiman of China.
11:43 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Full score: 17-21, 21-18, 21-12
11:42 (IST)1 DEC 2016
SAINA TAKES THE THIRD GAME 21-12 AND WINS THE MATCH!!!!!!!
11:42 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And she has EIGHT MATCH POINTS AT 20-12
11:41 (IST)1 DEC 2016
She is 2 points away from the win at 19-12 now!!!!!
11:41 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina is nearing victory! Up ahead 18-12 now!!
11:40 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Another point for the lower-ranked player who is now 12-17
11:40 (IST)1 DEC 2016
A long rally goes to Ayustine who trails 11-17 now
11:39 (IST)1 DEC 2016
The Indian is now 7 points ahead at 17-10
11:38 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Ayustine takes a point for 10-15
11:38 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And extends it to 15-9
11:37 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Nehwal inches ahead to 14-9
11:36 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Post-break, Saina still has the advantage at 12-9.
11:34 (IST)1 DEC 2016
At half-time, Nehwal is ahead 11-8.
11:33 (IST)1 DEC 2016
The World No. 50 now trails 8-10
11:32 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And Nehwal has gone up 10-7.
11:32 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Ayustine takes a point to close in on 7-9
11:31 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina goes up 9-6 now
11:30 (IST)1 DEC 2016
She still has a 2-point lead at 8-6
11:30 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Can she run away with the game now much like she did in the first half of the 2nd game?
11:30 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And she extends it to 7-5
11:29 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina has taken a slim lead of 6-5 here
11:29 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And they are locked at 5-5 now!!
11:28 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Hard-fought game already and Saina not giving up! She has come back for 4-4
11:27 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Ayustine nudges ahead to 4-2.
11:26 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And the Indonesian accelerates to 3-1 now
11:26 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina makes it 1-1 through some clever shotmaking
11:25 (IST)1 DEC 2016
GAME 3
Ayustine has jumped to 1-0
11:23 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina now needs to be careful not to concede an early string of errors.
11:22 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina levels it by taking the second game 21-18
11:21 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And she has TWO GAME POINTS at 20-18
11:21 (IST)1 DEC 2016
But Saina has applied brakes to the Indonesian's momentum and has gone ahead to 19-18
11:20 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And Ayustine has levelled it at 18-18
11:19 (IST)1 DEC 2016
It's a looong rally which goes in favour of Ayustine. She now trails 16-18
11:16 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Ayustine closing in through some splendid defence! She now trails 15-18
11:15 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And the Indian surges ahead to 18-12
11:14 (IST)1 DEC 2016
6-point lead for Saina!!!! She is up 17-11.
11:13 (IST)1 DEC 2016
And she extends it to 16-11 presently.
11:12 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Nehwal now up 15-10
11:12 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Once more, Ayustine manages to cut down the big lead for just a 4-point gap. Saina up 14-10.
11:11 (IST)1 DEC 2016
5-point lead for Nehwal. She is up 14-9
11:11 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina's defensive skills are on point today! She is up 13-8
11:10 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina needs to be careful here. Ayustine has come within 8-12 now.
11:09 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Rallies are getting longer and grittier now. The pace of the match has slowed down post-break. But Saina still has a healthy lead of 12-6
11:07 (IST)1 DEC 2016
But the Indian has wrested control again for 12-4
11:07 (IST)1 DEC 2016
After the break, Ayustine stops Saina's march for 4-11.
11:06 (IST)1 DEC 2016
11 points in a row for Saina from 0-3 down! That was FANTASTIC!!!
11:06 (IST)1 DEC 2016
Saina takes an 11-3 lead at half-time
And that's it from us, friends! Hope you enjoyed our live coverage. We shall be back tomorrow with the live coverage of Saina Nehwal's quarter-final match. Goodbye and have a great day.