Soumyadeep in TT singles semis

Soumyadeep Roy quelled a stiff challenge from Singapore's Xiaoli Cai to enter the men's singles semi-finals in the Commonwealth Games' table tennis competition on Tuesday.

The Bengal paddler started the quarter-final on a positive note and clinched the first game 11-7, but Cai clawed his way back into the match by winning the second 11-5.

However, Roy did not lose heart and bagged the next three game, winning the best-of-seven contest 11-7, 5-11, 12-10, 11-5, 13-1.

In the semi-finals, Roy will take on world No 17 Gao Ning, who beat India's A Amalraj 4-1 in other match.

Amalraj proved no match for Gao, who is considered to be the best Singapore paddler. After losing the first game 1-11, he bagged the second 11-4, but went down 5-11, 5-11, 7-11 in the next three sets and crashed out of

Meanwhile, India's experienced women pair of Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das came up with a determined performance to overcome the Australian duo of M Miao and J F Lay 3-2 and enter the doubles semi-finals.

But it was curtains for the Indian pair of Kumaresan Shamini and Madhurika Patkar, who lost 1-3 to T Feng and Y Wang of Singapore.

In the men's doubles, Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal and former national champion Subhajit Saha made it to the last four stage, beating Nigeria's Aruna Akinade and A Seun 3-1.

Another Indian pair, Amalraj and Roy, however, could not cross the quarter-final hurdle, going down 0-3 to the Singapore pair of Gao and Zi Yang at the Yamuna Sports Complex.

India's challenge in women's singles and mixed doubles categories had already ended.