Dipika fights her way into quarterfinals

India’s Dipika Pallikal battled her way past the lower-ranked Line Hansen to reach the quarterfinals of the $58,000 China Open here on Thursday.

In her first competitive match since winning the doubles gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Pallikal held her nerve to beat Denmark’s Hansen 9-11, 11-4, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6 in 56 minutes.

Pallikal, who has slipped out of top-10 to be 12th in the latest rankings, next faces an unexpected opponent in qualifier Salma Hany Ibrahim.

The Egyptian stunned World No. 6 Alison Waters of England 11-7, 3-11, 11-8, 11-3 in another opening round match.