Mumbai, March 21 Hana Moataz and Abhay Singh rose to the occasion with commanding performances to reach the finals of the Indian Open, registering hard-fought 3-1 victories in their respective semi-finals on Saturday.
Second seed Hana Moataz overcame a slow start to defeat her third-seeded compatriot Nadien Elhammamy 3-1 (11-8, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7).
The first game was a closely contested battle, with the lead changing hands frequently before Moataz edged ahead to take it 11-8.
The second game followed a similar pattern early on, but Nadien gained momentum midway, taking a 7-5 lead and winning it 11-5 to level the match.
However, Moataz increased her intensity in the third game, dominating proceedings to win 11-5. She carried that momentum into the fourth, building a lead before Nadien mounted a brief comeback, but Moataz held firm to win the game 11-7 and conclude the match.
In the men's semi-final, Abhay Singh overcame a strong challenge from Malaysia's Ameeshenraj Chandaran 3-1 (11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8).
The unseeded Chandaran matched Abhay for much of the contest, with both players trading powerful forehands and clever angles in an engaging battle. Abhay started strongly, racing to a 9-4 lead in the opening game, but Chandaran clawed his way back with five consecutive points to threaten an upset before the Indian held his nerve to take it 11-9.
The second game was evenly poised throughout. Trailing 8-9, Chandaran stepped up at the right moment, winning three straight points to claim the game 11-9 and level the match.
Abhay responded emphatically in the third, cruising to an 11-3 win. The fourth game proved to be another test, as he trailed 2-6 at one stage before fighting back to level at 7-7 and eventually closing out the match 11-8 to secure his place in the final.