SARAWAK (Malaysia): Former World No 1 Saina Nehwal stayed on course for the women's singles title at the season-opening Malaysia Masters after she advanced to the semifinals of the $120,000 Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament here on Friday.London Olympics bronze medallist Saina dished out a dominating show to edge past eighth seed Indonesian Fitriani Fitriani 21-15 21-14 in a 40-minute contest. This was the Indian's third win over the World No. 40.The top seeded Indian, who had clinched the Australian Open Super Series title last year, will face Hong Kong's Yip Pui Yin in the semifinals. Saina has a 6-2 head-to-head record against Yin, who had last beaten the Indian at 2010 Asian Games.In the men's singles, World No. Fitriani gave a fightback after the interval and narrowed down the gap to 12-13 but Saina soon marched ahead and sealed the match.

Source: Times of India January 20, 2017 11:56 UTC