Saina Nehwal, India's best bet in badminton, soaked whatever her Ukrainian opponent Larysa Gryga threw at her before delivering the knockout punch to pocket a pre-quarterfinal berth in the women's singles event at Olympics on Sunday.
Playing under a laden sky at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, the Indian took time to gauge her opponent, whom she played for the first time, before pulling out all the stops to tame her 21-18, 21-10 in just 28 minutes.
Saina's real test, however, begins now, for the Indian is set to lock horns on Monday with world number five and fourth seed Chen Wang of Hong Kong, someone she could not beat in her last two attempts.
On Sunday's match, the 18-year-old Indian said she had to wait for her moment before going for the kill.
Though beating Wang might prove a Herculean task, Saina displayed confidence of being third time lucky against her illustrious peer.
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