TIL Desk Sports/ Saina Nehwal returned to where she belongs while paving the way for Indian badminton’s foray into a territory hitherto unexplored, her semifinal entry also raising hopes of a first all-India summit showdown in the World Championships here.
The Olympic bronze medallist advanced to the semifinal when she staved off the challenge from local favourite Kristy Gilmour to assure herself of at least a bronze.
The 27-year-old Indian, who won a silver medal at the last edition at Jakarta, dug deep into her reservoir to eke out a 21-19 18-21 21-15 win over the world No. 31 Gilmour in a match that lasted an hour and 14 minutes.
With Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu already making it to the semifinals from the top half, this is the first time India will return with two medals from the BWF World Championships. “I was expecting a tough fight, but I was surprised she was playing so quick,” said Nehwal after the match.
