Sahaja Yamalapalli quelled the challenge from Saki Imamura of Japan 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Tennis Project, Baliawas, on Friday.
On a long day, when a sharp spell of rain provided a much-needed breathing time for the players in the afternoon, the 21-year-old Sahaja won two singles matches. She spent about five hours on court to set up a semifinal against fourth seed Ekaterina Yashina of Russia.
Second seed Ankita Raina was the other Indian to make the semifinals, and did so with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Punnin Kovapitukted of Thailand in a three-hour battle. If anything, the Thai’s remarkably strong game helped Ankita sharpen her arsenal, as she had no option but to hammer a string of winners to close out the match.
