India’s Shiva Thapa (60kg) and L Sarita Devi (60kg) notched up hard-fought wins to enter the semi-finals at the India Open on Tuesday.
The home favourites had a stellar day and look good to walk away with most of the medals.
World bronze-medalist Shiva Thapa (60kg), also a three- time Asian championships medal winner, was up against Uzbek Sherbek Rakhmatulloev.
Thapa stepped it up in the final three minutes to get the judges’ nod in a split decision.
The Assam-boxer will square off against compatriot Manish Kaushik, who out-punched Filipino Charly Suarez in his quarter-final bout.
Shiva and Manish had clashed in the national championships final last year in which the latter had come out trumps.
Asian bronze-medalist Amit Panghal (49kg), meanwhile, claimed a dominating 5-0 triumph over Cameroon’s Simplice Fotsala to set up a clash with fellow Indian Lalbiakkima Nutlai, who got the better of Kenya’s Shaffi Hassan.
Sarita blanks Indonesia’s Hsanboy
First up for India in the women’s draw was former world and Asian champion, L Sarita Devi (60kg). She dug enough from her huge reservoir of experience to edge past Thailand’s Peamwilai Laopeam in a split 4-1 decision and set up a clash with compatriot Priyanka Chaudhary. She defeated Indonesian Huswatun Hasanboy 5-0.
Former world championship silver-medalist Saweety Boora (75kg) had little trouble in dispatching Nepal’s Saraswati Rana. World youth champion Shashi Chopra made an impressive entry into the senior circuit by out-punching compatriot Y Sandhyarani.
Among the major disappointments of the day was top seed and world championships silver-medalist Sonia Lather (57kg) bowing out of medal contention. Another top seed to make a quarterfinal exit was former Asian champion and Asian Games bronze-medallist, Pooja Rani (75kg). Pooja was out-witted by a determined Essiane Clotilde of Cameroon in a split 2-3 verdict. Clotilde set up a clash with Shashi in the semi-finals.
