The double European Junior Champion, 19-year-old Kaloyana Nalbantova, has just defeated world No. 17 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand.

Despite a 41-place gap between the two players in the world rankings, it was the young Bulgarian who controlled the match from start to finish, securing an impressive 21-16, 21-12 victory.

With the win, Nalbantova advances to only her second-ever Super 300 quarterfinal. The first came last year at the YONEX US Open.

After the match, the 19-year-old was pleased with her performance:

“I know I am the underdog in this match, so I just went in there — I cannot say without pressure, because against everyone in the world I am trying my best, of course trying to take the victory, not just to play a good match. And this match for me was really good. It showed how I can fight on a good day, because I had a good day today. I tried my best and it worked out.”

Nalbantova has long shown the talent required to become a top player, but the biggest results at senior level have so far been limited. However, she feels she is in a good place, and believes Bulgaria’s recent success at the European Men’s & Women’s Team Championships has also boosted her confidence.

“For my physicality I have always felt okay, but for my confidence I needed some wins against higher-ranked players. And after this team event (European Men’s & Women’s Team Championships) I proved to myself that I can fight against top players in the world, and now I have more confidence on the court.”

In tomorrow’s quarterfinal, she will face Tomoka Miyazaki, who earlier today progressed after Kirsty Gilmour was unfortunately forced to retire with an injury midway through the second game.

You can read more about that on our social media channels, where you can also follow all the latest updates from the tournament this week.