Country's top ranked junior player Pranjala Yadlapalli shocked top-seeded Japanese rival Yuki Yaito in three sets to storm into the singles semi-finals at the ITF Asian Junior Tennis Championships here today.
Anthony Tang of Hong Kong also ousted top-seeded Horie Toru of Japan, in straight sets, to enter the last four in the boys' event at the MSLTA School of Tennis event.
Fifth seed Pranjala, currently ranked 94 in the junior world circuit and based out of Hyderabad, ousted the 29th-ranked Yaito 6-2 3-6 6-4 in the quarter-finals to reach the last four as the defending champion.
But the other remaining Indian girl in the fray, Mahak Jain, went down tamely to Chinese Xiyu Wang in straight sets in another quarter-final tie.
It was the Chinese girl's third Indian scalp, having put out Snehal Mane and Zeel Desai in the first two rounds. She won 6-2 6-0. On the brighter side the 17-year-old Indian girl, who collected 60 points by virtue of her quarterfinal entry, would jump into the top 100 when the next rankings are announced.
Pranjala, the current title-holder in both singles and doubles, took just over 2 hours to dispose off Yaito challenge.
"I could have won the game in two sets, but I lost focus and the second set. In the third set my opponent gave me a tough fight. At 4-4, I was able to hold my service and that gave me momentum to go for the kill," said Pranjala the 12th standard student.
She also made it to the doubles semi-finals partnering Aikawa Mayuka of Japan. The Indo-Japanese pair recorded a 6-4 7-6(5) quarter final win over the Japanese-Indonesia combine of Himari Sato and Khim Iglupas.
However, in another quarterfinal Indonesian Rifanty Kahfiani and Chinese Taipei's Yang Lee got the better of Indians Mahak Jain and Snehal Mane 6-3 6-2 to make it to the last four.
The results (all quarter finals):
Girls singles: Pranjala Yadlapalli (India, 5) bt Yuki Naito (1) (Jpn) 6-2 3-6 6-4; Khim Iglupas (Phi) bt Naho Sato (8) (JPN) 6-2 6-3; Xiyu Wang (Chn) bt Mahak Jain (Ind) 6-2 6-0; Yang Lee (6)(Chn) bt Zhuoma Ni Ma (CHN) 7-5 6-3.
Boys singles: Anthony Tang (Hkg, 7) bt Horie Toru (Jpn, 1) 6-2 6-2; Naoki Tajima (Jpn, 8) bt Zhao Lingxi (Chn, 4) 7-6(5) 6-2; Shimizu Yuta (Jpn, 3) bt Lyu Chenqze (Chn, 6) 6-3 3-6 7-5; Alberto Lim (PHI, 2) bt Yunosuke Tanaka (Jpn, 5) 7-5 6-1.
Girls doubles: Liu Yanni/Wang Xiyu (Chn) bt Du Zhima (Chn)/Yuki Naito (Jpn) 3-6 6-3 (12-10); Kahfiani Rifanty (Ina)/Lee Yang (Tpe) bt Mahak Jain/Snehal Mane (Ind) 6-3 6-2; Anri Nagata/Naho Sato (Jpn) bt Ni Ma Zhuoma/You Mi Zhuoma (Chn) 5-7 6-2(10-5); Mayuka Aikawa (Jpn)/ Pranjala Yadlapalli (Ind) bt Khim Iglupas (Phi)/Himari Sato (Jpn) 6-4 7-6(5).
Boys doubles: Toru Horie/Yunosuke Tanaka (Jpn) bt Siddhant Banthia (Ind)/Rimpei Kawakami (Jpn) 6-1 7-5; N B Ravikumar (Ind)/Alberto Lim (Phi) bt Seon Yong Han/Ching Lam (Chn) 6-3 6-2; Shimizu Yuta/Naoki Tajima Jpn) bt Vorachon Rakpuangchon (Tha)/Anthony Tang (HKG) 6-3 6-2; Chengze Lyu/ Lingxi Zhao (Chn) [2] bt Tao Mu/Chun Hsin Tseng (Chn) 7-6(4) 7-6(2).
