The seventh seed Saina defeated the American qualifier 24-22, 18-21, 21-19 in an hour in the second round contest to keep the Indian flag flying in the prestigious championship on Thursday night.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist next faces fourth seed Chinese Wang Shixian, brushed aside the challenge of Ireland's Chloe Magee of 21-15, 21-12 in her second round match.
Saina, who is the only Indian left in the championships, said that she was struggling to sleep properly because her room was cold.