The incumbent women's singles world No. 1 and tourney's top seed, Carolina Marin of Spain, got the better of world No. 8, Saina Nehwal of India, to advance to the semifinal round of the ongoing BCA Indonesia Open 2016 badminton championships.

Like Us on Facebook

The Spaniard triumphed over Saina following a hard-fought 24-22, 21-11 quarterfinal victory at the Istola Galera Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday.

Saina, who was the last competing Indian shuttler remaining in the US $900,000 World Super Series Premier event, failed to capitalize on her impressive head-to-head record over the top Spanish badminton ace.

The 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist recently defeated 22-year-old Marin in a Dubai-based competition in December last year. The defeat crashed Saina's hopes of winning her fourth Persatuan Bulutangkis Seluruh Indonesia (PBSI) - organized badminton tournament.

Marin, who is a two-time winner of the World Championship, wrapped up the victory in just 47 minutes and improved her record against Saina with two wins in five meetings. The newly crowned European champion also moved another step closer to her first Indonesia Open title.

The Huelva native will be facing the current world No. 3 and fourth seeded, Wang Yihan of China, for a place in the finals on Saturday. The 28-year-old Wang reached the semi-finals after beating Ji Hyun of South Korea, who was the present seventh-highest ranked player in the women's singles event in the world, with a difficult 21-18, 13-21, 22-20 victory.

In their five official meetings, the 2014 Asian Games Chinese champion has the upper hand in their head-to-head record, having won three matches compared to the Spaniard's two victories.

Wang defeated Marin at the Celcom Axiata Malaysia Open in April, at the Yonex All England Open in March 2014 and at the Li Ning Singapore Open in June 2013. Marin, on the other hand, has beaten Wang at the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open in November 2015 and the The Star Australian Open in May 2015.

TagsCarolina Marin, saina nehwal, wang yihan, bwf, bwf rankings, bca indonesia open 2016, Indonesia Open, badminton