CWG badminton: Saina leads Indian pack in quarter-finals

NEW DELHI - Led by world No.3 Saina Nehwal, a host of Indian players moved into the quarter-finals of the individual badminton event Monday, raising hopes of multiple medals from the badminton courts at the Commonwealth Games.

Some of the Indians, however, have run into tough opponents in the next round and it will take some spirited performance from them to get through to the semi-finals.

Top seeded Saina spanked Caroline Black of Northern Ireland 21-0, 21-2 to set up a clash with sixth seeded Canadian Anna Rice, whom the Indian beat in the quarter-finals of the mixed team event.

Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa pulled off a fine victory against Malaysian Eei Hui Chin and Woon Khe Wei 15-21, 21-10, 21-16 to advance into the last eight in women’s doubles.

Aditi Mutatkar also moved into the women’s singles quarter-final with a 21-11, 21-17 victory over Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour. But the Indian now faces second seeded Malaysian Mew Choo Wong.

In men’s singles, Parupalli Kashyap got the better of Kieran Merrilees of Scotland 21-12, 21-5. Kashyap, too, will have a difficult opponent in fourth seeded Mohammad Hafiz Hashim in the quarter-final.

Top ranked Indian and third seed Chetan Anand defeated Jamie Van Hooijdonk of Wales 21-8, 21-2 in another third round match. He will take on England’s Carl Baxter in the evening session for a place in the semis.

Mixed doubles second seeds Jwala Gutta and V. Diju defeated compatriots Rupesh Kumar and Ashwini Ponnappa 15-21, 21-18, 21-16.

The World No.11 Indian pair will take on the awesome Malaysian combination Kien Kit Koo and Ei Hui Chin, who beat the Indians in the final of the mixed team event.

Cheered by the crowd, the second seeded Indian pair of Gutta and Ponappa rallied from a game down to beat the Malaysian pair in 41 minutes.

While Ashwini was at her attacking best, Jwala took charge at the net and changed positions swiftly, at times moving back to play some delectable drop shots to which the Malaysians had no answers.

“It is one of our fine victories. Our combination has been doing well and this will spur us to move ahead,” said Jwala, who not long ago had a successful pairing with Shruti Kurien but then combined with Ashwini.

“We have done well in a short time. She (Ashwini) is an attacking player and she was hitting hard today. My shots were going fine and we are clicking well together.”