Saina Nehwal edged past Fabienne Deprez of Germany 21-18, 21-10 to enter the quarter-finals of the All England Badminton Open on Thursday.
Nehwal and Deprez played out a tense first game that saw both players fight tooth and nail. It was only at 18-18 that Nehwal finally put some day light between her and Deprez, eventually taking the game 21-18.
Nehwal, seeded eighth in the tournament, rode on the momentum in the second and raced to a 11-6 lead at the change of ends. The break did not hinder Nehwal’s focus as she chugged along nicely to extend her five point advantage. Deprez failed to find much traction as Nehwal’s superior court coverage found her wanting for much of the game. She closed out the game with a 11 points gap to join compatriot PV Sindhu in the quarter-finals.
The Rio Games silver-medallist had earlier decimated Dinar Dyah Ayustine of Indonesia 21-12, 21-4 to progress.