Mumbai, March 21 India's Anahat Singh will face Egypt's Hana Moataz in the women's final, while in the men's category, Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani secured their spots in the Indian Open squash here on Saturday.
Anahat defeated her compatriot Tanvi 3-1 (11-6 9-11 11-8 11-2) to reach the final. After dominating the early exchanges, the Indian star won the first game, after which Tanvi bounced back to level the match.
However, despite Tanvi's strong start in the third game, Anahat gained confidence and control. Her consistent shot-making and movement on the court helped her win the third and fourth games.
In the other women's semi-final, Moataz defeated her compatriot Nadien Elhammamy 3-1 (11-8 5-11 11-5 11-7) in a match between two Egyptians.
After winning a closely contested first game, Moataz lost the second before increasing her intensity in the final two games to secure her spot in the final.
In the men's event, Abhay overcame a strong challenge from Malaysian player Ameeshenraj Chandaran to win 3-1 (11-9 9-11 11-3 11-8).
Abhay was challenged by the unseeded Chandaran in a gripping encounter. Chandaran matched Abhay's shots during long rallies, producing powerful forehands and sharp returns.
Abhay started strongly, taking a 9-4 lead in the first game. Chandaran mounted a spirited comeback with five consecutive points to level the score, but Abhay held his nerve to win the game 11-9.
In the second game, Chandaran was trailing 8-9 at one stage, but the Malaysian surged ahead with three straight points to win the game 11-9 and level the match.
Abhay dominated the third game 11-3. The fourth saw another intense battle as Abhay fought back from 2-6 down to level at 7-7 before winning the game 11-8.
In the other semi-final, fourth seed Chotrani defeated another Malaysian, Sanjay Jeeva, also by a 3-1 margin (11-7 11-5 5-11 11-6), setting up an all-Indian showdown for the title.
The Indian recovered from a slightly nervous start to win the first game 11-7 and continued his dominance to claim the second 11-5. Jeeva won the third game 11-4, but Chotrani bounced back to win the fourth 11-6 and seal the match in his favour.