Out of the 10 quarter-final matches that went into three games at the Hyderabad Open on Friday, six were come-from-behind wins. Two of them stood out in terms of drama. The first saw a brother avenge his sibling’s defeat, while the second saw an experienced player needing a wake-up call from an unheralded opponent.
Sameer Verma, the top seed, looked out of sorts as he walked back to his kit at the end of the first game against Pratul Joshi, after losing it 16-21. Pratul, who had defeated the elder Verma sibling Sourabh in the round of 16, did not allow Sameer to dictate the pace of play the way he likes to.
Following the same strategy with which he beat beat Sourabh on Thursday, Pratul was patient and engaged Sameer in rallies as he totally controlled the game. He was even leading 15-11 in the second game and it looked like he would beat the second Verma brother in consecutive days, before a switch flicked on in Sameer.
Egged on by his peers from the Pullela Gopichand academy, Sameer went on the attack and won the next seven points to take the lead. Sameer even went on to have two game-point opportunities at 20-18, but Pratul managed to save them. Pratul then had two match points at 23-22 and 24-23 but then it was Sameer’s turn to save them. The game finally ended 26-24, in Sameer’s favour. And that was essentially the end of the match.
The deciding game was a completely one-sided affair. The defeat in the second game seemed to have demoralised Pratul as he completely switched off and conceded the first eight points of the game. Sameer was not going to lose the match from there, as he wrapped up the decider in no time, 21-7.
Gurusaidutt soldiers on
Over on the television court, RMV Gurusaidutt, who is trying to make a comeback after multiple injuries derailed his career following a Commonwealth Games medal four years ago, was stretched by Malaysia’s Lim Chi Wing, ranked 149th in the world.
The 28-year-old Indian lost the first game rather tamely, 13-21, before waking up and taking a 14-10 lead in the second. Lim fought hard to close the match out in two games as he levelled the scores to 17-17. However, Gurusaidutt won the game 22-20 to take the match into a decider.
It was tight in the third game till 8-8 before Guru started pulling away. He finally won the game comfortably 21-11 to book a spot in the semi-finals, where he will take on Sameer Verma.
Another all-Indian semi-final
This won’t be the only all-Indian semi-final as Arun George and Sanyam Shukla, who impressed at the Thomas Cup earlier this year, set up a clash with top seeds and favourites Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
Mixed doubles top seeds Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Sikki Reddy were also wasteful in the first match of the day as they were taken to three games by a Hong Kong pair that just started playing together in April. They will need to be a lot more clinical against Chang Tan Ching and Ng Wing Yung in the semi-finals.
These will be the only Indians in the semis. Their compatriots who lost in the quarter-finals included Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli, Rasika Raje, Arjun MR/Shlok Ramchandran, Arjun MR/Maneesha K, Sunjith S/Sruthi KP, Sanjana Santosh/Pooja D, Tarun Kona and his Malaysian partner Lim Khim Wah.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!