Rushmi ousts Archana

Except for a little resistance from Archana in the fourth game, Rushmi had no problem winning the first set 6-0. Leading 3-0 with a break in the second, and 0-30 in the fourth, Rushmi found it difficult to handle Archana8217;s forehand cross-court returns. She lost three points there. However, in the deuce, luck was with Rushmi, as Archana went erratic, twice serving fault serves, thus losing the point and the game.

In the second set, after the score being 4-3 with serve in Rushmi8217;s favour, the top seed totally lost her line of play. The game eighth saw Archana start her serve with a double fault and then a series of ousters. Gaining this decisive break, Rushmi merely had to complete a job already well done. She wrapped up the match without dropping a point in the next two games to win 6-3.

Janaki survives: Unseeded but experienced Janaki Krishnamoorthy survived a close call from her unseeded opponent from Bangalore 8212; Sheetal Gautam 8212; to win 6-2, 7-6 8-6. The 17-year-old Bangalore girl, high on morale after her career best win against the second seed Russian Anna Nefedova yesterday, though she had lost the first set meagerly, but played to perfection in the second set.

Sheetal managed to win just two games in the first set the first one on her serve and the sixth by breaking Janaki. In the second, Sheetal8217;s game, however, was an all-together different one to watch. Down 2-5, the resurgent Sheetal thrice stopped Janaki, serving for the match in the 8th, 10th and 12th game, to push the match into tie-breaker.

Janaki was once again up 3-2 in the tie-breaker, but Sheetal made up the deficit and was soon up 5-4. Janaki, unmoved by Sheetal8217;s comeback, stuck to her original game. Thus saving two match points in the tie-breaker to finally book her berth in the semis. Janaki will now meet the seventh seed Montika Anuchan of Thailand, who was declared winner against her countrymate and No. 4 Orawan Wangkamalsai, after the latter conceded, leading 5-2 in the first set. Orawan, who had defeated Montika in the quarter-final stage of the last leg, had to pull out due to toe injury.

Semi-final line up
Singles: Rushmi Chakravarthy Ind vs Sai Jayalakshmi Ind. Montika Anuchan Thai vs Janaki Krishnamoorthy Ind.
Results: Prefix denotes seedingsSingle Q/F: 5. Rushmi Chakravarthy Ind bt 1. Archana Venkatraman Ind 6-0, 6-3; Janaki Krishnamoorthy Ind bt Sheetal Gautam Ind 6-2, 7-6 8-6; 3. Sai Jayalakshmi Ind bt 8. Shruti Dhawan Ind 6-3, 6-1; 7. Montika Anuchan Thai bt 4. Orawan Wangkamalsai Thai 5-2 conceded.
Doubles Semi-final: 2. Archana Venkatraman-Aarti Venkatraman bt Janaki Krishnamoorthi-Pooja Deshmukh 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Rushmi Chakravarthi-Sai Jayalakshmi w/o Orawan Wangkalamasai-Montika Anuchan conceded.
Singles Pre-Q/F: Janaki Krishnamurthi Ind bt 5. Aarti Venkatraman Ind 4-6, 6-4, 6-0; 3. Sai Jayalakshmi Ind bt Deepa Engade Ind 6-, 6-1; 1. Archna Venkatraman Ind bt Shalini Thakur Ind 6-0, 6-1, 6. Rushmi Chakravarthi Ind bt Nikita Bhardwaj Ind 6-4, 6-0; Sheetal Ind bt 2. Anna Nefedova Russia 6-2, 7-5; 8. Shruti Dhavan Ind bt Pooja Deshmuch Ind 6-4, 6-0.