Sharath upsets second seed

Achanta Sharath Kamal8217;s commanding performance saw the country8217;s number one player upset second-seed Zi Yang 11-5, 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 10-12, 11-9 to reach the semi-finals of the ITTF Pro Tour Indian Open.

The 24-year-old was aggressive from the start. Picking up his opponent8217;s serve, Sharath played at a pace that never allowed Yang to find his rhythm. After edging through the close fourth game, Yang began to use Sharath8217;s pace to attack and won the fifth. But the Commonwealth Games champion held forth in the next, sealing it with a strong serve.

He will meet Subhajit Saha in tomorrow8217;s semi, who beat Soumyadeep Roy, 11-6, 11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 6-11, 5-11,12-10. In the other semi-final, top seed Ning Gao meets Croatia8217;s Roko Tosic.

Among the women, Poulumi Ghatak beat Yue Sun in straight games. She meets second seed Meng Yu Yu. The other clash is between top seed Bei Bei Sun and Lu Ma Mung.