<p>Changzhou, China: Young Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod continued her fine form as she cruised to her maiden Super 1000 quarterfinal after eking out a hard-fought victory against higher-ranked Kristy Gilmour in the China Open here on Thursday.</p>.<p>Malvika, ranked 43rd, toiled hard for one hour and five minutes before pulling off a 21-17 19-21 21-16 win over the the two-time Commonwealth Games medallist and world number 25 from Scotland in a women's singles round-of-16 contest. </p>.<p>"This is the first time I will play a quarterfinal of a Super 1000 tournament so it is a dream come true and the biggest achievement of my life so far," Malvika said after the match.</p>.Malvika Bansod stuns Paris Olympics medallist Tunjung in China Open badminton tournament.<p>"I dreamt about this before the tournament that how would it be if I reached the quarters and now I'm top 8, so it's a great feeling," she added.</p>.<p>Talking about the match, the Indian, who now leads head-to-head against Gilmour 3-2, said "There is a lot of drift from this part so I found it difficult to control in the last parts of the last game and second game as well. But I'm glad god helped me." The win comes a day after the 22-year-old defeated Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia.</p>.<p>The Nagpur shuttler feels she has been able to control the shuttle in the tricky conditions here.</p>.<p>"My retrieving is working well, I am able to control the shuttle better than the others. The conditions are a bit tricky for both players but I'm able to handle it better," she said.</p>.<p>She added that she has focused on enhancing her strength, and it is yielding positive results.</p>.<p>"This circuit is very tough because if you are entering a Super 500 or 1000 you end up playing a top 10 in the first round as I'm not seeded yet. So, I need to be physically strong from the beginning itself. I have been working on that." However Malvika, who is the lone Indian shuttler remaining in the competition, has a tough challenge ahead of her as she will be up against fourth seed and two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the last eight stage.</p>.<p>Although the Japanese shuttler has won both the outings against Malvika, the Indian had come close to defeating Yamaguchi and hopes she can cross the line this time round.</p>.<p>"Hope for the best. I am in good form let's see how it goes tomorrow. I will give my best," she said. </p>
<p>Changzhou, China: Young Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod continued her fine form as she cruised to her maiden Super 1000 quarterfinal after eking out a hard-fought victory against higher-ranked Kristy Gilmour in the China Open here on Thursday.</p>.<p>Malvika, ranked 43rd, toiled hard for one hour and five minutes before pulling off a 21-17 19-21 21-16 win over the the two-time Commonwealth Games medallist and world number 25 from Scotland in a women's singles round-of-16 contest. </p>.<p>"This is the first time I will play a quarterfinal of a Super 1000 tournament so it is a dream come true and the biggest achievement of my life so far," Malvika said after the match.</p>.Malvika Bansod stuns Paris Olympics medallist Tunjung in China Open badminton tournament.<p>"I dreamt about this before the tournament that how would it be if I reached the quarters and now I'm top 8, so it's a great feeling," she added.</p>.<p>Talking about the match, the Indian, who now leads head-to-head against Gilmour 3-2, said "There is a lot of drift from this part so I found it difficult to control in the last parts of the last game and second game as well. But I'm glad god helped me." The win comes a day after the 22-year-old defeated Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia.</p>.<p>The Nagpur shuttler feels she has been able to control the shuttle in the tricky conditions here.</p>.<p>"My retrieving is working well, I am able to control the shuttle better than the others. The conditions are a bit tricky for both players but I'm able to handle it better," she said.</p>.<p>She added that she has focused on enhancing her strength, and it is yielding positive results.</p>.<p>"This circuit is very tough because if you are entering a Super 500 or 1000 you end up playing a top 10 in the first round as I'm not seeded yet. So, I need to be physically strong from the beginning itself. I have been working on that." However Malvika, who is the lone Indian shuttler remaining in the competition, has a tough challenge ahead of her as she will be up against fourth seed and two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the last eight stage.</p>.<p>Although the Japanese shuttler has won both the outings against Malvika, the Indian had come close to defeating Yamaguchi and hopes she can cross the line this time round.</p>.<p>"Hope for the best. I am in good form let's see how it goes tomorrow. I will give my best," she said. </p>