JOIN USThulasi knocks out Sayali; sets up Ratnasari clash
Playing a faster game and using the drop and half smash to good effect, Thulasi -- who scalped second seed Nitchaon Jindapol of Thailand in the second round -- easily subdued unseeded Sayali -- her conqueror in the final of the Indore Nationals two years ago -- in straight games.
Thulasi took just half an hour to outclass Gokhale 21-6, 21-14, finishing the match with a round-the-head smash to mid court, to book a berth in Saturday’s title clash against top seed Fransiska Ratnasari of Indonesia at the Cricket Club of India’s courts.
Ratnasari also did not face much opposition in her semifinal match against Indian fourth
seed Trupti Murgunde and recorded a facile 21-10, 21-11 victory. The men’s final will be an all-Indonesian affair between fifth seed Tommy Sugiarto and top seed Yunus Alamsyah. Alamsyah was given a tough fight by India’s Anup Sridhar, seeded eighth, in the opening game before he won 25-23, 21-9 victory in 40 minutes.
Sridhar, in fact, led 19-14, before committing a spate of errors to allow his Indonesian rival to come back strongly and win the match. He lost the second game tamely and made his exit.
Results (semifinals, prefix number denotes seeding):
Men: 1-Yunus Alamsyah (Ina) bt 8-Anup Sridhar (Ind) 25-23, 21-9; 5-Tommy Sugiarto (Ina) bt 6-Stanislav Pukhov (Rus) 22-20, 21-14.
Doubles: 3-Akshay Dewalkar/ Arun Vishnu (Ind) bt Phaisansomsuk Suwat/ Uttamang Wasapol (Tha) 21-16, 21-10; Riyadi Joko/ Yoga Ukikasah (Ina) bt 2-Pranav Chopra/ Kona Tarun (Ind) 21-17, 21-11.
Women: P C Thulasi (Ind) bt Sayali Gokhale (Ind) 21-6, 21-14; 1-Fransiska Ratnasari (Ina) bt 4-Trupti Murgunde (Ind) 21-10, 21-11
Doubles: J Nitchaon/ J Pattharaporn (Tha) bt Abantika Deka/ Sampada Sahastrabudhe (Ind) 21-6, 21-9; 1-Savitree Amitapai/ Somsri Nessara (Tha) bt 3-Sosale Nitya/ Kurian Shruti (Ind) 21-14, 21-13. Mixed doubles: Patipat Chalardchaleam/ Savitree Amitapai bt Pranav Chopra/ 4-Prajakta Sawant (Ind) 21-13, 21-12; 2-Arun Vishnu/ Aparna Balan (Ind) bt 3-Nipitphon Puangpuapech/ Somsri Nessara (Tha) 23-21, 21-17.