The unseeded Indian, who had won the Indonesia Masters last year before enduring a lean patch on the World Tour, overcame a stiff resistance from Young, beating her 25-23 21-12 after a thrilling 39-minute contest.
This is Saina’s first win over the South Korean, who got the better of the Indian in the quarterfinals of the French Open last year. The two-time Commonwealth Games champion will next take on Olympic champion Carolina Marin in the quarterfinals.
Saina had defeated Lianne Tan of Belgium 21-15 21-17 in the opening round on Wednesday.