Olympic silver-medallist P V Sindhu entered the semifinals of the Hong Kong Super Series after posting a hard-fought victory over Singapore's Xiaoyu liang even as Saina Nehwal bowed out here on Friday.
Had the former World No 1 and london Olympics bronze medallist Saina won her match, she would have met Sindhu in an all Indian battle in the semifinals.
The only time Saina and Sindhu clashed at the international circuit was at the 2014 India Grand Prix gold tournament and it was the senior shuttler who had the last laugh in a two-game match.
Earlier on Friday, Sindhu, who clinched the China Open last week, staved off a stiff challenge from Xiaoyu liang 21-17 21-23 21-18 in a quarterfinal match that lasted an hour and 19 minutes at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
Fifth-seeded Saina, meanwhile, failed to cross the hurdle as she was stunned by unseeded local shuttler Cheung Ngan Yi 8-21 21-18 19-21 in a contest that lasted an hour and 11 minutes. The Indian had earlier beaten Cheung Ngan Yi at the World Championships last year.
Analysing her quarterfinal match that she won in three games, Sindhu said although she managed to pull it off she was not up to the mark.
"I was leading but lost the second game. She (Xiaoyu lian) played well. I was very nervous and gave a huge lead. I was 7-15 down in the third. My shots were going out, even the once I had to get. I was not confident in playing strokes. Even when I played safe the shots were going out.
"I didn't know what to play. After 7-15 I got confident. liang is good, she has improved a lot. I was not up to the mark," said Sindhu.
Saina said that since the last two matches were very tiring, it became a bit tough for her on Friday as she was still not 100 per cent fit.
Sindhu topples Saina in Ranking
New Delhi: Riding on her maiden Super Series Premier title at the China Open, Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu entered the top 10 but Saina Nehwal crashed out of the elite bracket in the latest BWF world ranking. Sindhu, who clinched the China Open last week, jumped two places to grab the ninth spot, while former World No 1 Saina, who is on a comeback trail after recovering from a serious injury, slipped five places to 11th spot, owing to her first round exit at China Open.
In the Destinational Dubai ranking for the BWF Super Series Final, Sindhu (38,490) is ahead of Saina (38,080) by a few points and their performance at the ongoing Hong Kong Open will determine who qualifies for the prestigious tournament next month.