Jiangsu: Indian badminton player Malvika Bansod advanced to her first Super 1000 quarterfinal after a tough win over the higher-ranked Kristy Gilmour at the China Open on Thursday.
Ranked 43rd, Malvika battled for one hour and five minutes to secure a 21-17, 19-21, 21-16 victory against the two-time Commonwealth Games medalist and world number 25 from Scotland in the women’s singles round of 16. “Playing in the quarterfinal of a Super 1000 tournament for the first time is a dream come true and the biggest achievement of my life so far,” Malvika expressed post-match.
“Before the tournament, I dreamed of making it to the quarters, and now being in the top 8 is an incredible feeling,” she continued.
Discussing the match, Malvika, who leads the head-to-head against Gilmour 3-2, mentioned, “There was a lot of drift from this side, which made it difficult to control the shuttle in the final stages of the last game and the second game as well. But I’m thankful that God helped me through it.”
The victory followed her recent triumph over Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung from Indonesia. The shuttler from Nagpur believes she has mastered the shuttle control in these challenging conditions.
“I’m retrieving well and managing the shuttle better than my opponents. The conditions are tricky for everyone, but I seem to have a better handle on them,” she remarked.
She also mentioned that her focus on building strength is paying off with positive outcomes.
Nonetheless, Malvika, the sole Indian competitor left, faces a formidable opponent next. She is set to compete against the fourth-seeded and two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi from Japan in the quarterfinals.
Despite losing both previous matches to the Japanese player, Malvika has been close to victory and is hopeful that this time she will prevail.
