JBS Vidyadhar Rao pulled off an upset win over top seed Abhinn Shyam Gupta to set up an All-India title clash with former All England champion Pullela Gopichand in the US $10,000 Asian Satellite Badminton championship in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Gopichand got the better of compatriot Thomas Kurien 15-10, 15-4 while Rao registered a 15-9, 15-3 win in the semi-finals at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.
In the women's section, however, the Indians cut a sorry figure, with both B R Meenakshi and Jwala Gutta surrendering
meekly against their Thai opponents.
Meenakshi was outplayed by Meemek Monthila 2-11, 6-11 while Jwala Gutta bowed out against Soratja Chansrisukto 5-11, 9-11.
In the first semi-final match for men, Gopichand came up with some powerful smashes and dribbles but was nevertheless troubled by the hard working Kurien, who adopted a tough posture and rallied brilliantly in the first game.
Gopichand, who had the crowd behind him, was made to sweat by his opponent before he took the first game.
However, Gopi had no such problem in the second semi-final, as Kurien seemed to give up, allowing his rival to pocket the match.
Playing with a knee band, Gopichand was at ease while playing his favourite backhand and powerpacked smashes. But he played the jump smashes judiciously.
Earlier, local favourite Vidhyadhar held the top seed on a tight leash from the beginning who some good returns. Gupta
was at a loss as Vidyadhar picked vital points with some good smashes amidst cheers from the sparse crowd.
Gupta, who put on a bold show, but could not hold the advantage and he went down 9-15 in the first game. The second was a mere formality with Rao forcing his way to a thumping win.
The Indian women bowed out in the semifinals with both Jwala and Meenakshi losing to their opponents who seemed far superior in technique and endurance.
In the quarters, which were also played today, Kurien made short work of national champion Chetan Anand to win a thriller of a game which stretched to the full limit while Gopichand had an easy outing against Sachin Ratti.
In the women's singles quarter-finals, India's Shruti Kurien, Turpti Murugunde and Dhanya Nair bowed out while Meenakshi and Jwala kept the Indian flag afloat by moving into the last four alongwith the two Thai girls.