Buoyed by a world rankings boost Kirsty Gilmour won her way through to a second successive quarter-final on the Indian leg of her season-opening tour of Asia.
Rewarded for reaching the final at last weekend’s Victor Far East Malaysian Masters with a rise to 18th place in those rankings, just two behind her best ever when she reached the top 16 soon after contesting the Commonwealth Games final two years ago, one of Gilmour’s main aims in the early part of the year was to get more experience of playing against players from Asia, the sport’s dominant region.
Having achieved a maximum return in those terms in Malaysia beating two Japanese, a Malaysian and a Thai player, two of whom she has now leapfrogged in the rankings, Gilmour opened her account at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow with the lightning quick elimination of Sri Lankan qualifier Lekha Shehani 21-10, 21-10 in just over 20 minutes.
Britain’s top women’s singles player, who is on course to make her first appearance at an Olympic Games in Rio this summer, faced a tougher test in her second round match against China’s He Bigjiao having to come from behind in the first game before, with her nose in front at 17-16, reeling off four successive points to take it.
The 22-year-old from Bothwell was in more trouble in the second game when she trailed 18-14, however she then produced what is becoming a trademark run when under pressure, winning seven in a row to clinch the match in 38 minutes.
“A bit up and down throughout that one but found some rhythm when it mattered,” she tweeted immediately afterwards.
“Happy to be through to the quarters tomorrow.”
She now meets Porntip Buranaprasertsuk in what promises to be a close quarter-final since Gilmour is the seeded player and is currently ranked six places higher but has lost to Thailand’s former world number eight in straight games in both their previous meetings.
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