India’s Dipika Pallikal Karthik continued her giant killing spree in San Francisco as the 26-year-old upset sixth seed Olivia Blatchford of USA 13-11, 11-6, 11-9 to reach the semi-finals of the $50,000 Women’s Oracle NetSuite Open 2017 squash tournament.
The world number 21, who had defeated fourth seed Emily Whitlock in the first round, needed just 35 minutes to get the better of the local favourite. The only time the Indian came under pressure was when she wasted four game balls in the opening game but she kept her cool to save one herself before taking the game.
The next two games were a breeze for Pallikal Karthik, who will now face second seed Nicole David.
“I’ve really worked hard this summer, I didn’t get the results I wanted in China and Hong Kong and I just wanted to come here, play well and enjoy myself. Things are finally falling in place and we’ve got Ashraf el Karagui who has joined us as a national coach in India,” Pallikal Karthik was quoted as saying on the official PSA World Tour website.
“He’s (Karagui) been there for the last year, so things are picking up and I feel like I’m playing a lot better and I’m a lot more composed. He’s been a very big influence in both today’s and yesterday’s wins and I’m just glad that I could do it for him,” she added.