Saina credits Gopichand for her pre-quarters victory

Former world number one Saina Nehwal has credited Coach Pullela Gopichand for her convincing win victory over Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the pre-quarter clash of the ongoing Badminton Championship.

"Everywhere she was playing all those difficult shots that I have seen Ratchanok playing. After the scoreline read 19-19, I collected two points and credit for that goes to Gopi sir. He played a big role there," Saina said.

"I followed his instructions and the game turned to my favour. The last two points were all about strategy," she added.

Reflecting on her quarter-final clash with Carolina Marin of Spain, Saina said that she is an aggressive player and it would be a challenging task for her to get over the Olympic gold medalist.

"She is very quick and an aggressive player. I will be playing her after a long time. It will be a challenging match for me, definitely not an easy one. She is a champion player and I would like to give my best against her," she said.

The Indian shuttler defeated Ratchanok Intanon 21-16, 21-19 in a thrilling contest which led to cementing of her spot in the quarter-final of the tournament.

Saina will take on Carolina Marin of Spain on August 3 to book herself a semi-final berth.