Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 8-21, 7-21

She needs just one as Saina pushes the shuttle in the net.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 8-21, 7-20

Marin wins 11 of the last 12 points to earn 13 match points.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 8-21, 7-18

The amount of deceptive shots Marin has played in this match would make most of her opponents wonder what is in store from her going into the Tokyo Olympics. She is moving extremely well and that is allowing her to play those strokes.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 8-21, 6-11

A flick from the net from Marin gives her a five point advantage going into the mid game interval in the second game. Kashyap wants Saina to push the shuttle further back from this side and not play too close to her opponent. The important point from here on is whether Saina believes that she can do that consistently.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 8-21, 5-7

Saina has finally managed to string together a few points together by making Marin stay longer in the rally as she can’t really keep pushing the shuttle far back due to the drift.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 8-21

Saina manages to save one game point with a half smash but her resistance ends as she tries to just a cross court toss from Marin which is well inside.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 7-20

The cross court smash gives Marin 13 game points

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 7-18

Marin now plays a backhand flick to win her seventh straight point.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 7-17

Marin is racing through this first game now. Her coach wanted her to maintain the tempo after the break and felt that Saina could tire out soon. That hasn’t happened but Saina definitely not looking comfortable as she even misses a simple smash.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 6-11

Marin is pretty quick for Saina and that has allowed her to dominate her opponent especially at the net. In fact, one of Marin’s tap event hit Saina’s forehead as she simply bent over to avoid the shuttle hitting her.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin 3-6

Saina is looking to play flatter against Marin but the Spaniard enjoying playing this game. Saina will need to push Marin a lot behind and then hope that she makes errors while going for winners.

Saina Nehwal vs Carolina Marin

There is little to separate both the players in terms of their head-to-head record. Nehwal was a bit lucky to emerge with a title the last time the two players met in the Indonesia Masters final in January 2019. Marin was comfortably lead in the opening game before she fell and injured her knee, that needed a surgery and kept her out of action for over six months.

She has since come back strong, winning the China Open Super 1000 title. But Nehwal would also fancy her chances after outplaying Korea’s young sensation An Se Young in the second round. The Indian is also moving well after a long time and that should give her a lot of confidence.

1.20 pm: With Sindhu’s loss against Tai Tzu Ying, India’s challenge in the Malaysia Masters known depends solely on Saina Nehwal. The former World No 1 will take on Spaniard Carolina Marin in about an hour.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 16-21, 16-21

This was Sindhu’s 12th loss against Tai and second since the BWF World Championship in Basel in August last year.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 16-21, 16-21

It’s all over for Sindhu at the Malaysia Masters. She did managed to saved five match point against Tai Tzu Ying as he opponent looked to relax a bit in the end but the result once again underlined the fact that the world champion struggles in faster court conditions against the guile of the world No 2.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 16-21, 8-18

It feels like Sindhu cannot figure out what has hit her. She is struggling to cope with Tai’s guile in these faster conditions.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 16-21, 4-13

Can Tai Tzu do anything wrong in this game. Sindhu had done all the hard work in the rally and felt that she had done the right thing when she judged a shuttle on the sideline and the line judge called it out. But Tai challenged the call and she was right.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 16-21, 4-11

Tai Tzu Ying has been reading Sindhu really well and the Indian has found more often than not that the world No 2 has tremendous control with her clears and tosses to judge the shuttle on the backline. And even the net chord is favouring the Taipei girl as she takes a seven point lead at the break.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 16-21, 4-11

Tai Tzu Ying has been reading Sindhu really well and the Indian has found more often than not that the world No 2 has tremendous control with her clears and tosses to judge the shuttle on the backline. And even the net chord is favouring the Taipei girl as she takes a seven point lead at the break.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 16-21, 2-6

Tai Tzu Ying showing all the strokes in her arsenal and forcing Sindhu to go for high risk strokes. The ploy seems to be working so far as the Taipei shuttler takes a handsome lead in the second game.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 16-21

Sindhu puts a simple cross court push in the net and Tai takes the opening game in 17 minutes.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 15-19

Tai once again show why she is feared so much on the international circuit. She not only manages to stay in the rally during a barrage of attacks from Sindhu and then uses her superior control to catch the world champion on the wrong foot.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 15-16

Its been a battle of attrition so far. Sindhu is making Tai work hard for every point and that is inducing errors from the Taipei shuttler. But Tai continues to hold an advantage thanks to her superior control.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 9-11

Tai Tzu Ying is starting to take control of the rallies as she bags four straight points to go into the mid game interval with a two point advantage.

PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying 7-7

It is a fast and furious start to the match by both Sindhu and Tai. Sindhu is quick to go on the attack and that has helped her cover the initial deficit and draw level against the World No 2.

Hello and welcome to live updates from the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur.

India’s PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will be in quarter-final action today. While Sindhu faces world No 1 Tai Tzu Ying, Nehwal will be up against reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin.