Saina Nehwal lines up a return
India's Olympic medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal sailed into the second round of the USD 700,000 Malaysian Open with a convincing 21-12, 21-16 win over Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong here today.
The London Olympic Games bronze medallist needed just 42 minutes to clear the first hurdle at the Axiata Arena. (Also Read: India beat Pakistan 41-17 to enter semi-finals of Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018)
Saina, who had won gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games too, has been in good form of late and she will look to continue in similar vein.
However, the Indian has been drawn in a tough group and is meeting second seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the second round.
Saina gave ample glimpses of her fitness and form en route to winning the match. (Also Read: Rest has benefitted Virat Kohli ahead of England Tour: Ravi Shastri to IndiaTV)
The ace shuttler who was the runner-up at Indonesia Masters earlier in the year will also look to carry this momentum forward into the next round.
Rejuvenated after a month-long break, India's other top shuttlers, including P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, will also resume their quest for glory in the south-east Asia leg of BWF World Tour.
