Malaysia Masters: Saina enters quarterfinals

Kuala Lumpur: London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal stormed into the women’s singles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament with a straight-game win over South Korea’s An Se Young here on Thursday.

The unseeded Indian, who had won the Indonesia Masters last year before going through a rough patch, dispatched Young 25-23 21-12 after a thrilling 39-minute contest.

This is Saina’s first win over the South Korean, who got the better of the Indian in the quarterfinals of the French Open last year.

The two-time Commonwealth Games champion will next take on Olympic champion Carolina Marin in the quarterfinals.

Saina had defeated Lianne Tan of Belgium 21-15 21-17 in the opening round on Wednesday.