The Indian mixed doubles team of V Diju and Jwala Gutta eased into the third round beating Malaysia's Peng Soon Chan and Liu Ying Goh at the World badminton Championships in Paris, on Tuesday.
After their hard fought three game win over England's Chris Adcock and Gabriella White on the opening day, the Indian pair outclassed the Malaysian pair 21-19, 21-8 in 24 minutes.
The ninth seeded duo now play Singapore's Chayut Triyachart and Lei Yao who beat the third seeds Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba in another match.
Even though the scoreline did seem as if the Indians enjoyed court supremacy, Diju believes it was a hard fought win.
"We were leading in the first game but they turned the momentum and opened a three point lead before we kind of steadied ourselves," said a relieved Diju.
After leading 11-9 in the first game, unforced errors from the Indians gave Malaysia the advantage and they turned the tables by scrambling a lead of 18-15. The fast breaks contributed as the Indians pulled back to equalise at 18-18 before taking the game at 21-19.
In the second game, the Indian duo raced away to a 6-2 lead with some stunning serves by Jwala. Serving close to the net, she also tossed a few to the back court catching the Malaysians flat-footed.
India didn't let go the lead as they raced away clinching points with some clever placements. Diju was in form as he smashed and placed beautifully. The match winner was a beauty from Jwala. Shaping up to smash, she played a drop shot that kissed the net and dropped on the other side.
"I think we were consistent today," said Jwala.
"Yesterday against the British pair, we were not taking our chances. But today, even though the Malaysians played well in the first game, we were sure of ourselves," she said.
"In mixed doubles or for that matter in any match, you can't take anybody for granted," added Jwala. "They have beaten the third seeds so they must be in form. But I am confident that if we play well and stick to our plans, we should come through."
Earlier in the day, Chetan Anand and P Kashyap lost their respective matches to end India's challenge in the men's singles category.
