Ratchanok Intanon survived another three-game test to advance to the quarter-finals of the US$2 million BWF China Open on Thursday.
The Thai seventh seed overcame Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam 17-21, 21-16, 21-15 to join mixed doubles pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran in the last eight of the Super 1000 tournament in Changzhou.
The 27th-ranked Thuy Linh stunned Ratchanok in the first round of last year's world championships in Paris and the Vietnamese player threatened to cause an upset again after taking the first game against the seventh-ranked Thai star.
Ratchanok, however, turned things around to win the second and third games and earn her place in the last eight after a one-hour contest.
Ratchanok will face China's Chen Yufei in the quarter-finals. Chen also needed three games to defeat Japan Open champion Pusarla V Sindhu of India, 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 yesterday.
Chen, who is seeded fourth this week, is contesting her home event from position 1 in the women's singles draw following the withdrawal of injured world No.1 An Se-Young.
In the mixed doubles last 16, fourth seeds Dechapol and Supissara defeated All England Open champions Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzeles Chan 21-19, 21-11 in just 33 minutes to make it their eighth straight win against the Taiwanese pair.
They will face Japan's Yuta Watanabe/Maya Taguchi in the quarters after the Japanese pair defeated China's eighth seeds Cheng Xing/Zhang Shi 21-15, 21-13.
Women's doubles players Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard also reached the quarter-finals as they knocked out sixth seeds Kim Hye-Jeong/Kong Hee-Yong of South Korea 21-19, 21-9. The sisters will face top seeds Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning next.
Mixed doubles pair Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai bowed out, losing to sixth seeds Tom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France 21-11, 21-19.
Men's singles hope Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul's challenge against top-ranked Shi Yuqi ended after the Thai rising star retired in the third game after reportedly feeling dizzy.
Women's singles player Busanan Ongbamrungphan also bowed out, losing to sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia 21-17, 21-14.