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The semifinals of the Syed Modi International on Saturday, December 2 brought with it two matches for Indian fans. First up was Priyanshu Rajawat in the men's singles, followed by Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto in the women's doubles.
Rajawat squared off against Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei, and the match got off to an absolutely electric start. The first set was incredibly close, with only a point between the two at the interval. While Jen did manage to create a small lead for himself at 15-11, Priyanshu quickly clawed his way back to take the game 21-18.
The second game started much like the first, but the Taiwanese succeeded in steering clear of his opponent soon enough and won it 21-14.
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Both Priyanshu and Jen fought hard in the third set, always within a couple of points of each other. Eventually, Jen led the game 17-12, before Rajawat tried to stage a comeback. While the Indian fought hard, the Taiwanese managed to scrape through 21-17 and booked his place in the finals.
Next up at the Syed Modi International, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto were geared up to take on World No. 5 Sayaka Hiroto and Yuki Fukushima.
In a surprise victory, Ponnappa and Crasto had managed to get past their higher ranked compatriots yesterday, beating Treesa Jolly and Gayathri Gopichand in straight sets.
The Indians held their own against the Japanese pair today, trailing by a single point at the mid-game interval. Unfortunately, the Japanese duo were forced to withdraw from the match, giving Ashwini and Tanisha a free pass into the finals.
Syed Modi International: Results at the end of day five (Indians only)
Men's Singles
Chi Yu Jen (Chinese Taipei) beat Priyanshu Rajawat (India) 18-21, 21-14, 21-17
Women's Doubles
Ashwini Ponnappa /Tanisha Crasto (India) beat Yuki Fukushima /Sayaka Hiroto* (Japan) 10-11 (*retired)
Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto will now face Japan's Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in the finals of the Syed Modi International on Sunday.
