Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth in Australian Open Semis
Saina Nehwal won a hard-fought match against Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon while Kidambi Srikanth beat Korea's Kwang Hee Heo
Highlights
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Saina Nehwal won a marathon quarterfinal against Ratchanok Intanon
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Kidambi Srikanth beat Korean Hee Heo to enter men's singles semis
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Saina improved her head-to-head record vs Ratchanok to 7-5
Perhaps playing one of her toughest matches this year, Saina Nehwal outslugged Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon to enter the semifinals of the Australian Open badminton championship in Sydney on Friday.
Kidambi Srikanth also made it to the men's singles semis with a 21-18, 21-17 win against Korea's Kwang Hee Heo.
Saina, the seventh seed at the Australian Open, defeated second seed Ratchanok 28-26, 21-16 in a match that lasted 56 minutes. The first game took 32 minutes to complete.
Saina improved her head-to-head record with the Thai champion to 7-5 after Friday's win. The Indian world No. 8 now awaits the winner of China's Wang Yihan and Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying.
Saina improved her head-to-head record with the Thai champion to 7-5 after Friday's win. The Indian world No. 8 will now play China's No. 4 seed Wang Yihan, who beat Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying 21-19, 21-15.
The diminutive Ratchanok has always been a tough customer for Saina. The first game went neck-and-neck with both players holding their nerves on the big points. Saina blew a three-point lead at a crucial juncture (18-15) to prolong the contest beyond the normal.
The second game was more in Saina's control with the Indian taking an 11-7 lead and never looking back. At 19-13, it was clear that Saina will win easily but Ratchanok won three points on-the-trot but it was not enough.