13:51 (IST)24 NOV 2016
13:50 (IST)24 NOV 2016
SAINA NEHWAL IS THROUGH TO THE QUARTER-FINALS!!!!!!!
13:50 (IST)24 NOV 2016
SAINA NEHWAL wins the game 21-16
13:49 (IST)24 NOV 2016
And Saina is looking extremely confident at the moment and has FIVE match points in hand with a lead of 20-15
13:48 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Each time Saina inches ahead, the Japanese succeeds in coming back to put pressure on the Indian. Nehwal goes up 15-13 where she finally looks to have put the Japanese at bay. Nehwal extends her lead to 17-14 presently.
13:44 (IST)24 NOV 2016
On resumption, the Japanese is fighting back and is now breathing down Saina's neck at 11-12.
13:41 (IST)24 NOV 2016
And at half-time, it is the Indian who is ahead 11-8
13:40 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Unfazed, the Indian once more regroups to surge ahead to 10-8.
13:39 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Finally, Sato's persistence is paying off. She has cut down Saina's lead to 8-9 now.
13:38 (IST)24 NOV 2016
The game continues in the same fashion with the Japanese pushing the Indian hard but Saina managing to maintain her lead all the time under pressure. She is now up 9-6
13:36 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Sato is trying her best to throw the Indian off her rhythm but the 2010 champion has held firm for a 7-3 lead.
13:35 (IST)24 NOV 2016
This is amazing turnaround from the former World No. 1. Saina has extended her lead to 5-1 now.
13:32 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Saina seems to have regrouped in the decider. Pushing aside the setback, she has now opened up a 2-0 lead.
13:29 (IST)24 NOV 2016
We are now off to a decider!!!!
13:29 (IST)24 NOV 2016
A brilliant Sato has wrapped up the second game 21-9.
13:28 (IST)24 NOV 2016
This game is moving fast away from Saina's grip and she now trails 9-19.
13:27 (IST)24 NOV 2016
And the Japanese looks extremely comfortable and confident at the moment as Saina seems to be struggling a bit. Sato is up 15-6
13:24 (IST)24 NOV 2016
It goes without saying that Nehwal needs to do a lot of work in the second half of the game.
13:24 (IST)24 NOV 2016
At the mid-game interval, the World No. 14 Sato is up 11-4.
13:23 (IST)24 NOV 2016
And she is inching closer to the half-time lead with a whopping 10-3 advantage.
13:23 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Sato is moving the Indian all over the court and exploiting her sluggish pace. The Japanese is up 8-2 currently.
13:20 (IST)24 NOV 2016
GAME 2
But for now, it is the lower-ranked Japanese who has taken an early lead of 4-1 in the second game.
13:20 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Nehwal has a 5-1 lead over the World No. 14 and has won their last four showdowns. The Indian will hope to extend that head-to-head record by taking another game in this match.
13:15 (IST)24 NOV 2016
And Nehwal takes the first game 21-18
13:15 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Nehwal needs to be careful as Sato has closed the gap to 18-20 now.
13:13 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Sato did bag a couple of points but the Indian was able to stop her mini momentum and she is now 19-14 ahead.
13:12 (IST)24 NOV 2016
And now Saina looks to have taken control of the game and has built up a massive five-point lead (17-12)
13:11 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Sato levelled the scores to 11-11 right on resumption but the Indian has once again steered the game back her way and now leads 14-12.
13:08 (IST)24 NOV 2016
And the Indian has held on to her slender lead to go into the interval with an 11-9 lead.
13:05 (IST)24 NOV 2016
But Nehwal looks to have now settled down and has now closed the gap to 7-8
13:05 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Sato has started out as the more aggressive player and has gone up 6-4.
13:04 (IST)24 NOV 2016
Good afternoon and welcome to the Sportskeeda liveblog of the Hong Kong Open second round where Saina Nehwal seeks a quarter-final spot vs Japan's Sayaka Sato.
FINAL SCORE: 21-18, 9-21, 21-16