There was hope when he entered the men's singles quarterfinals of the India Open Gold Grand Prix here on Thursday. On Friday, he proved that he is made of sterner stuff and capable of making waves.

The 21-16, 22-20 win against China's world No 11 Chen Yu, the third seed, in the quarterfinals at the Gachibowli stadium undoubtedly has to be one of the best of his career. And what a place to do it too – at home, in front of family and a huge crowd. It was also the same place where he has won a men's singles National and National Games titles. This is the 27-year-old's best win after beating Ng Wei of Hong Kong in the Thomas Cup qualifiers in Jaipur in 2006.

Chetan will take on England's Andrew Smith, who posted a 21-18, 21-19 win over India's Anand Pawar, in the semi. The second semifinal will be a contest between Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana (fifth seed) and unseeded Japanese player Sho Sasaki.

For Chetan, the title triumph at the Kenya International in Nairobi last month has certainly played a part in boosting his confidence. More than anything else, Chetan did just exactly what was needed to dump a top player like Chen. He read what the Chinese was trying to do, cut down on giving high returns and the job became so much easier.

The start of the match was not that rosy with the Chinese racing to a 10-4 lead. Chetan seemed a little lost as to how he could contain his rival. But after Chen began to make mistakes, Chetan was the opportunist and, much to everyone's relief and joy, he began to send back flatter returns. That change in strategy put Chen in a tight spot and there was not much he could do really.

The Chinese sent long returns which were surely going out. Some Anand intercepted well and in the case of others, good judgment saw the shuttle falling beyond the backline. Soon, Chetan was one game up.

The Indian took control of the match in the second game and that was crucial. That was after Chen again took an early 7-3 lead. Just like in the first game, Chetan upset the rhythm of Chen's game, something which the latter could not do much about. All this added up to a 22-20 second-game win and a place in the semifinals.

"I played slow initially but later controlled the shuttle. I did not let him hit and played more at the net," Chetan said after the match. "I am happy to enter the semifinals after all the problems last year," he said, adding that training with the Europeans in recent times proved to be a boon.

In the women's semifinals, Japan's Eriko Hirose (eighth seed) will take on Hong Kong's Zhou Mi (sixth seed), while China's Zhu Lin (third seed) will lock horns with compatriot Lu Lan (second seed).

Late on Thursday night, the Indian women's pairs of Shruti Kurian and Jwala Gutta and Aparna Balan and Saina Nehwal crashed out in the doubles pre-quarterfinals. Second seeds Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna (Japan) beat Jwala and Shruti 21-4, 21-15, while Malaysia's Khe Wei Woon and Lui Ying Goh downed Aparna and Saina 21-11, 21-16.

Prakash’s pat

Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone termed Chetan Anand’s performance  as a good one, but said there should be more of such wins.

“It was a good win but it is not enough,” Padukone said. “One has to be consistent. Indians are improving but winning one tournament in a year or so is not enough," he added.