Ghosal Gets Career-Best Win In Front Of Home Crowd In Kolkata

Boosted by playing in the city of his birth, India's Saurav Ghosal claimed the biggest scalp of his career when he upset top-seeded Englishman Adrian Grant, the world No13, in today's quarter-finals of the Men's Indian Challenger No7, the $50,000 PSA World Tour squash event at The Calcutta Racket Club in Kolkata.

After winning the first game and leading 8-4 in the second, Londoner Grant looked to be heading to his anticipated victory - just over a year after winning the Indian Challenger No2 event at the same venue.

But seventh seed Ghosal was in no mood to give up and, banking on some elementary errors from Grant, together with his own barrage of winners, the 23-year-old underdog gained the upper hand to take a 9-8 lead. However, Grant kept up the pressure and saved five game balls before Ghosal finally drew level.

Thereafter, it was sheer dominance on the part of the homeboy with his delicate slices and drop-shots. Ghosal sealed his opponent's fate with a clinical show in the third, while Grant looked drained out after the intriguing second game that lasted for 28 minutes.

Left-hander Grant made one last effort for a comeback in the fourth game, winning three points in a row from 4-8 down. But it was too late, as Ghosal held his nerves to close out the match 8-11, 15-13, 11-5, 11-7 after 87 minutes to clinch the biggest win of his career.

The Indian national champion now faces third seed Mohamed El Shorbagy after the 19-year-old Egyptian survived a see-saw match against Ong Beng Hee - eventually prevailing 11-6, 6-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9 over the fifth-seeded Malaysian in 64 minutes.

In another quarter-final upset, seventh seed Tarek Momen of Egypt took only 33 minutes to outclass Malaysian rival Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the fourth seed, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.

Momen, the 22-year-old world No26 from Cairo, will now face second seed Cameron Pilley after the Australian beat England's sixth seed Jonathan Kemp 12-10, 11-9, 11-6.

There were convincing Indian wins in the $8,000 Women's WISPA Indian Challenger No5 as Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal reserved their anticipated places in the last four.

Although Chinappa lost her way in the second game after winning the first, the 23-year-old from Chennai made short work of her Swiss opponent Gaby Schmohl by carving out an 11-8, 11-13, 11-5, 11-9 win.

Pallikal, the 18-year-old fourth seed from Chennai, had no trouble getting past compatriot Anaka Alankamony 11-5, 11-2, 11-3.