Ajay Jayaram is now the last remaining shuttler in the Korea Open Super Series after clawing his way into the quarter-finals with a 21-15, 21-18 victory over China's Huang Yuxiang in the second round on Thursday. In the last eight, Jayaram will now face South Korea's Lee Hyun Il, who had pulled off a major upset by downing world No. 5 Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark in his second-round match.
Jayaram, ranked 18th in the world, sits 11 places above Il, but the Korean has a 2-0 record in head-to-head meetings against the 29-year-old Indian.
India's B Sai Praneeth, who had also progressed to the second round along with Jayaram, bowed out of the tournament after losing 9-21, 15-21 to sixth-seeded Son Wan Ho of South Korea.
