Joshna, Dipika in WISPA Challenger-2 semis

Local favourites Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal ensured India a place in the final of the WISPA Challenger-2 event as the duo set up a semi-final clash against each other in Chennai on Thursday.

Both Joshna and Dipika met with hardly any resistance in their quarter-final matches. Second seeded Joshna outsmarted Laura Pomporters of France 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 in just 25 minutes, while sixth seeded Dipika overwhelmed England's Jenna Gates 11-2, 11-8, 11-4 in 17 minutes.

Top seeded Sharon Wee of Malaysia and Orla Noom of the Netherlands, seeded third, will meet in the other semi-final.

Sharon disposed off the challenge of India's unseeded Anwesha Reddy, winning 11-7, 11-6, 11-3 in 22 minutes. Noom beat fifth seeded Siti Munirah Jusoh of Malaysia 11-9, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4 in 36 minutes.

With the exit of three Indians in the men's section on Wednesday, the PSA Challenger-4 quarter-finals witnessed top seed and world ranked 29, Chris Simpson of England scalped by sixth seeded Ivan Yuen of Malaysia.

Yuen, who considers Chennai his best hunting ground, having won the Asian Junior Championship in the city earlier this year, showed variety in his armour.

After the players were level two games each, Yuen brought in all his experience to clinch the decider and the match 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-2 in 70 minutes.

In the semi-finals, Yuen plays compatriot Mohd Asyraf Azan (5th seed), while Mathieu Castagnet (3rd seed) of France takes on second seeded Mark Krajcsak of Hungary, who disposed of Shamsul Islam Khan of Pakistan 11-5, 11-7, 5-11, 11-1 in 32 minutes.