Pi Hongyan advances to quarterfinals

Archive photo of Pi (Photo credit: Xinhua)Photo Gallery>>(BEIJING, June 19) -- When the No. 3-seeded Pi Hongyan lost the first game of her match against the unseeded Saina Nehwal in the second round of the Djarum Indonesia Super Series 2008, everyone held their breath. Would the French ace repeat her performance in Singapore last week, where she failed to advance to the quarterfinals?

In the second game, Pi fought hard, but Nehwal was in no mood to give up. The two kept the score close for a while before Pi took the game 21-18, securing a chance to fight back.

In the decisive third game, Pi held on to her momentum from the last game, leading on the scoreboard, but Nehwal soon caught up. At the decisive moment, Pi was able to hold back Nehwal and win one point after another. In the end, her experience and defensive net play helped her win 21-18 and advance to the quarterfinals.