Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal stormed into the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open, defeating second seed Akane Yamaguchi in the second round match here on Thursday.
Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, Tai Tzu Ying. Agencies
In a match which lasted 36 minutes, the Hyderabadi shuttler outplayed Japanese shuttler Yamaguchi 21-15, 21-17 in straight games.
Right from the start, Saina seemed positive and played aggressively. Her swift court movements and powerful smashes helped her to advance in the meet.
Saina will now take on former world champion Nozomi Okuhara in the quarters.
In other matches, Sameer Verma advanced, defeating Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in a 23-21, 6-21, 22-20 marathon match of more than an hour.
In the women's doubles category, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also made it to the next round as they edged past Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan of South Korea. The Indian duo defeated their opponent 18-21, 22-20, 21-18 in an hour's match.
Kidambi Srikanth defeated the legendary Lin Dan for the second time in his career to set up an all-Indian quarterfinal against Sameer Verma at the Denmark Open here.
World number six Srikanth bounced back to beat the world number 14 from China 18-21, 21-17, 21-16 in the second round clash played on Thursday night.
Dan, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion, is not the player he used to be but is still a force to reckon with. It was a fifth meeting between Srikanth and Dan and the Chinese great won the last time they played, in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Srikanth had famously scored his maiden win over Dan to win the 2014 China Open.
After a tough match against the Chinese, Srikanth will have to play fellow Indian Verma in the quarterfinals to be held later on Friday.
Updated Date: Oct 20, 2018 02:20 AM
Highlights
Hirota and Fukushima enter semis
The World No 1 pair dominated the Indian duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy 21-14, 21-12. They couldn't match the pace of the game and had a minimal on-court combination.
Hirota-Fukushima win first game: 21-14
Sixteen minutes to the openings and the Japanese shuttler have proved their class with elan. Ponnappa and Reddy haven't really trouled.
Saina powers into semis!
The former champion beats reigning world champion Nozomi Okuhara 17-21, 21-16, 21-12 to enter the semi-finals. Saina used her strategies really well to stretch Nozomi Okuhara, who was forced to play from the back of the court. Full marks to Saina for adhering to the plan and hitting winners.
Saina makes it 1-1!
A proven fighter. Saina Nehwal gets the better of Okuhara after the interval to wrap up the second game 21-16. The Indian shuttler looks a little more aggressive, while Okuhara a little dispirited.
Can Saina go all the way?
Okuhara claims opening game: 21-16
The reigning world champion always maintained the pressure on Saina throughout the match. Saina did try to reply by staying resilient but Okuhara mastered the net game to go 1-0 up.
SRIKANTH EDGES PAST SAMEER!
What a match, what a brilliant match! Both Srikanth and Sameer exhibited end-to-end stuff as all the three games presented the best of attacking badminton. However, it was the defending champion to had the last laugh as he registers a narrow 22-20, 19-21, 23-21 win.
Srikanth will face World No 1 Kento Momota tomorrow!
Sameer Verma makes it 1-1!
Great stuff from Sameer to snatch the second game 21-19 from Srikanth. Time for the deciding game here. Both shuttlers look really pumped up after 48 minutes of attacking badminton.
22-20 in favour of Sri
Sameer must be feeling terrible after missing out on bagging the opening game by a whisker. He troubled the defending champion but it wasn't enough as Srikanth found his rhythm just in time.
Women's singles update: Tai and He enter last-4
Tai Tzu Ying beats Chen Yufel 21-13, 12-21, 21-9 to enter the semi-finals. The deciding game was all about Tai's stoke variation. She read Chen's movements perfectly to unsettle her opponent.
He Bingjiao trounces compatriot Cai Yanyan 21-13, 21-16. A rather easy win for the young Chinese shuttler.
Matches to watch out for:
Tai Tzu Ying vs Chen Yufei
Chou Tien Chen vs Son Wan Ho
Anders Antonsen vs Huang Yuxiang
Nozomi Okuhara vs Saina Nehwal
Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota vs Ashwini Ponnappa/Sikki Reddy
Cai Yanyan vs He Bingjiao
Kidambi Srikanth vs Sameer Verma
Gregoria Mariska vs Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt
Khosit Phetpradab vs Kento Momota
02:20 (IST)
That brings us to the end of today's play at the Denmark Open.
Overall, a good day for Indian shuttlers. Srikanth edges past Sameer to enter semis, while Saina brushed aside another Japanese shuttler Okuhara in three games. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. We'll be back tomorrow. Until then, take care!
Indians
Srikanth faces World No 1 Momota
Saina faces Gregoria Mariska of Indonesia
02:16 (IST)
Hirota and Fukushima enter semis
The World No 1 pair dominated the Indian duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy 21-14, 21-12. They couldn't match the pace of the game and had a minimal on-court combination.
02:09 (IST)
ICYMI: Here's a short clip to sum up Saina's win over Nozomi Okuhara in the quarter-finals.
02:06 (IST)
15-7! Sikki Reddy is a little too slow at the net as she finds it difficult to break down the Japanese pair's defence.
02:05 (IST)
01:53 (IST)
Hirota-Fukushima win first game: 21-14
Sixteen minutes to the openings and the Japanese shuttler have proved their class with elan. Ponnappa and Reddy haven't really trouled.
01:45 (IST)
16-6! Eight straight points for the top seeds from Japan. They're a step ahead of Ponnappa and Reddy at the net.
01:44 (IST)
Ashwini and Sikki are yet to gel as a pair. Hirota and Fukushima have combined well so far.
01:38 (IST)
Women's doubles
Next up, India's Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy face Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota of Japan in the women's doubles quarter-finals.
The two pairs met at the World Badminton Championships earlier this year, where the Japanese duo won 21-14, 21-15.
01:33 (IST)
Saina powers into semis!
The former champion beats reigning world champion Nozomi Okuhara 17-21, 21-16, 21-12 to enter the semi-finals. Saina used her strategies really well to stretch Nozomi Okuhara, who was forced to play from the back of the court. Full marks to Saina for adhering to the plan and hitting winners.
01:24 (IST)
17-9! Saina ability to use her variations has unsettled Okuhara, who looks jaded since the mid-game break.
01:23 (IST)
14-5! Saina has pushed Okuhara towards the back of the court. Kashyap would be really happy to see how Saina responded to rallies.
01:19 (IST)
Okuhara looks in deep trouble.
01:16 (IST)
10-3! Nine of the last 10 points have been in favour of Saina. One-way traffic at the moment. She has been more judicious in her strokeplay.
01:15 (IST)
7-3! Saina has a healthy lead over Okuhara, who has made far too many errors at the net.
01:13 (IST)
Saina makes it 1-1!
A proven fighter. Saina Nehwal gets the better of Okuhara after the interval to wrap up the second game 21-16. The Indian shuttler looks a little more aggressive, while Okuhara a little dispirited.
Can Saina go all the way?
01:06 (IST)
16-14! Saina has been aggressive and has taken the initiative to go for the kill. Great shot-selection by the Indian shuttler.
01:05 (IST)
Kashyap, who is sitting behind Saina, has been constantly asking Saina to push Okuhara towards the back. He looks animated.
00:53 (IST)
6-3! Saina has committed a lot of errors at the net. It's not a great idea to challenge Okuhara art the net.
00:51 (IST)
4-2! Saina is just chasing the shuttle now. She hasn't done anything notable so far to trouble Okuhara, She trails by two-points
00:50 (IST)
Okuhara claims opening game: 21-16
The reigning world champion always maintained the pressure on Saina throughout the match. Saina did try to reply by staying resilient but Okuhara mastered the net game to go 1-0 up.
00:44 (IST)
19-13! Okuhara is extremely good in making her opponent work around all four corners of the court. Other shuttlers would be really envious of her ability to run around and retrieve.
00:43 (IST)
12-15! It's true that Saina is known for her fighting spirit. She isn't giving up against Okuhara as she closes the gap with delicate crosscourt drop shots.
00:41 (IST)
14-8! Okuhara is running away with the lead. The Japanese shuttler has controlled the tempo of the rallies and made Saina put extra efforts to lift the shuttle.
00:37 (IST)
Break time!
00:34 (IST)
8-4! Okuhara has used the drift of the court to her advantage. Saina, meanwhile, has looked tired after playing 20 shots in the rallies.
00:33 (IST)
3-0! Misplaced shots by Saina quite early in the opening game. Okuhara looks settled on the mid-court.
00:32 (IST)
Popcorn? Ready? Love all-play!
00:30 (IST)
Nozomi Okuhara vs Saina Nehwal
In the wake of the shock loss suffered by her compatriot, PV Sindhu, in the opening round of the $775,000 prize money event, Saina was saddled with the task of carrying the Indian pennant forward in the women’s singles, for a quarter-final duel on Friday against Nozomi Okuhara of Japan.
The eighth-seeded 2017 world champion, meanwhile, efficiently dispatched her fellow-countrywoman, Saena Kawakami, by a 21-15, 21-14 margin, after beating Thailand’s Nitchaon Jindapol by a much tighter scoreline at 21-19, 21-18 in her opening joust.
Okuhara, it will be remembered, saved four match-points against Saina in the quarter-finals of the Korea Open, and won the final six points of their no-holds-barred encounter, to go on to successfully defend her crown in Seoul. Friday’s meeting – the 11th between the two, with the Indian leading 6-4, but with defeats in their most recent three duels – will give the Gopichand Academy trainee a gilt-edged opportunity of gaining revenge for her heart-breaking reverse at the last-eight stage of the Korea Open.
00:29 (IST)
SRIKANTH EDGES PAST SAMEER!
What a match, what a brilliant match! Both Srikanth and Sameer exhibited end-to-end stuff as all the three games presented the best of attacking badminton. However, it was the defending champion to had the last laugh as he registers a narrow 22-20, 19-21, 23-21 win.
Srikanth will face World No 1 Kento Momota tomorrow!
00:21 (IST)
20-20!
It's all happening here. Told you all, there's hardly anything to separate the two Indian shuttlers. This is the third consecutive match that has gone down the wire.
00:19 (IST)
18-18! Oh, there's a sign of a late comeback here.
Srikanth levels the score in the deciding game. A rare lapse of concentration from Sameer cost him three points.
00:15 (IST)
17-13! Sameer has raced to a four-point lead over Srikanth, who seems to be under pressure here.
00:06 (IST)
Sameer is inching closer towards causing an upset!
00:04 (IST)
The third and final game is underway!
3-3! There is nothing, absolutely nothing to separate these two Pullela Gopichand Academy graduates. Srikanth and Sameer have played some great forehand strokes.
23:59 (IST)
Sameer Verma makes it 1-1!
Great stuff from Sameer to snatch the second game 21-19 from Srikanth. Time for the deciding game here. Both shuttlers look really pumped up after 48 minutes of attacking badminton.
23:51 (IST)
16-16!
What a tight encounter this is turning out to be. Both players are now locked at 16 points. Srikanth looks aggressive but has struggled defensively.
23:44 (IST)
A two-point lead for Srikanth at the break. Has he found his touch then?
23:36 (IST)
4-4! These two are not going to back off so easily. The rallies are starting to build slowly. Both Srikanth and Sameer have played some neat net shots in the second game.
23:31 (IST)
22-20 in favour of Sri
Sameer must be feeling terrible after missing out on bagging the opening game by a whisker. He troubled the defending champion but it wasn't enough as Srikanth found his rhythm just in time.
23:28 (IST)
20-20!
Yes, Sameer levels the score. This is an exciting battle between the two naturally attacking shuttlers.
23:25 (IST)
19-18! Sameer manages to close the gap on Srikanth's lead but is still trailing by a point. Is there some room for a comeback?
23:22 (IST)
18-15! What a turnaround
Srikanth pips the defensive Sameer to open up a three-point lead. Now that was a surprise. Five straight points for the defending champion!
23:19 (IST)
15-13! Sameer extends his lead as he targets the backhand side of Srikanth. He has controlled the pace of the rallies too.
23:18 (IST)
11-10! Sameer has a slender lead over Srikanth at the mid-game break of the opening game.
Interestingly, both players have attacked right from the beginning. Sameer lacks variation but his agility can upset Srikanth.
23:17 (IST)
The two Indian men's singles are in action.
Defending champion Kidambi Srikanth against Sameer Verma. This is the very first meeting between the two.
22:24 (IST)
Tai Tzu Ying makes it look so easy.
22:22 (IST)
21:20 (IST)
READ: India's finest and most consistent player of this last decade, Saina Nehwal, strode majestically into the final eight with a commanding victory over World No 2, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan
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20:47 (IST)
Women's singles update: Tai and He enter last-4
Tai Tzu Ying beats Chen Yufel 21-13, 12-21, 21-9 to enter the semi-finals. The deciding game was all about Tai's stoke variation. She read Chen's movements perfectly to unsettle her opponent.
He Bingjiao trounces compatriot Cai Yanyan 21-13, 21-16. A rather easy win for the young Chinese shuttler.