74th National Table Tennis Championship: Sizzling Neha creates two upsets to reach semis

High on confidence after playing a stellar role in Delhi women’s historic maiden team crown, Neha Aggarwal continued her red-hot form as she created a couple of big upsets to earn a women’s singles semifinal meeting with reigning champions Poulomi Ghatak.

Neha, who represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, first showed the championship exit door to fourth seed Madhurika Patkar before accounting for fifth seed Divya Deshpande.

Poulomi was taken to the distance by eighth seed Mausmi Paul before prevailing 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 11-2, 8-11, 9-11, 11-3.

K. Shamini and Ankita Das booked the two other semifinal spots.

Meanwhile in the men’s singles, India’s highest ranked player Achanta Sharath Kamal cruised past Aman Balgu of Railways 11-9, 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 to reach the semfinals.

Balgu had earlier shocked third seed Soumyadeep Roy (Pet) 12-10, 9-11, 12-10, 11-7, 4-11, 12-10.

Sharath Kamal now plays second-seeded Sanil Shetty for a place in the final. Shetty halted the superb run of Devesh Karia, who had upstaged sixth seed and former champion Subhajit Saha 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-13, 9-11, 13-11, 11-7 in the second round.

Top-seeded Soumyajit Ghosh, pipped Zubin Kumar and now clashes with defending champion Amalraj in the other men’s singles semifinals.

Results:

Men: (Quarterfinals): 1-Soumyajit Ghosh (Pet) bt 8-Zubin Kumar (Pet) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6; 5-A. Amalraj (Pet) bt 4-Harmeet Desai (Guj) 11-8, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7, 11-6; 6-Sharath Kamal (Pet) bt Aman Balgu (Rlys) 11-9, 11-3, 11-5, 11-5; 2-Sanil Shetty (Pet) bt Devesh Karia (Guj) 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 17-15, 11-2, 11-9.

Pre-quarterfinals: Ghosh bt L. Satheeswaran (TN) 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8; Zubin bt Sourav Chakraborty (Pet) 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 14-12, 16-18, 11-9; Amalraj bt Sourav Saha (WB) 11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6; Desai bt T. Nitin (TN) 11-7, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6; Balgu bt 3-Soumyadeep Roy (Pet) 12-10, 9-11, 12-10, 11-7, 4-11, 12-10; Sharath bt Jignesh Jaiswal (Guj) 11-3, 11-4, 11-2, 11-6; Karia bt G. Sathiyan (Pet) 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5, 3-11, 11-9; Shetty bt Sougatha Sarkar (WB) 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, 16-18, 11-9.

Women: Quarterfinals: 1-Poulomi Ghatak (Pet) bt 8-Mousmi Paul (WB) 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 11-2, 8-11, 9-11, 11-3; Neha Aggarwal (Del) bt 5-Divya Deshpande (Mah ‘A’) 15-13, 11-6, 11-8, 11-3; 3-Ankita Das (Pet) bt Mallika Bhandarkar (Mah ‘B’) 11-7, 11-4, 11-3, 11-8; 2-K. Shamini (Pet) bt 7-Pooja Sahasrabudhe (Pet) 11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 10-12, 11-1, 11-4.

Pre-quarterfinals: Poulomi bt Takeme Sarkar (Rlys) 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9; Mousmi bt Mamata Prabhu (Mah ‘A’) 7-11, 14-12, 6-11, 13-15, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4; Divya bt Reeth Rishya 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6; Neha bt 4-Madhurika Patkar (Pet) 11-6, 11-13, 11-7, 8-11, 11-13, 11-8, 13-11; Ankita bt Soumi Mondal (Pet) 9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-2, 11-9; Mallika bt K. Spoorthy (AP) 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 10-12, 15-13, 11-9; Pooja bt Ayhika Mukherjee (AAI) 11-4, 10-12, 6-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-6; Shamini bt Sutirtha Mukherjee (WB) 13-15, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9.