KUALA LUMPUR: Nicol David rallied from a game down to oust India's Joshna Chinappa for a spot in the Saudi Women's Masters quarter-finals in Riyadh yesterday.
The former World No 1 claimed a 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 win in 38 minutes against Joshna, one of her rivals for medals at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games this year.
Nicol said she cut out the errors from her game in the second round match and kept 14th-ranked Joshna, who took a game off the Malaysian for the first time in 14 meetings, on the back foot.
"It was so close today, you cannot tell it by the score maybe, but it was really tough. I am very happy with the way I played, I am really pleased with that match," said eight-time world champion Nicol.
"I’m pleased with the way I came back in the second game. I was playing a bit too short maybe so I had to tighten it up, and step forward, before she could do it.
"I tried to get a few balls past her, to have a bit more time to settle in the middle. I think she played really well, and I’m really happy to win 3-1."
Nicol set up a last-eight meeting with Egypt's Nour El Tayeb, who upset second seed Camille Serme of France 13-15, 11-13, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4.
World No 6 Nicol will be bidding to reach the semi-finals of a PSA World Series tournament for the first time since the British Open in March last year.
Nicol and Nour have not met since November 2016 at the Wadi Degla Open in Cairo with the former having won all nine previous meetings between them.