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Chetan Anand, Lakshmi post upset wins

Promising junior Chetan Anand and unseeded PVV Lakshmi hogged the limelight with upset victories in the men’s and women’s singles pre-quarterfinals of the Indian Oil Servo Asian satellite badminton championship in Chennai, late Tuesday evening.

While Anand stunned sixth seeded Srikant Bakshi 13-15, 15-4, 15-5 in an all-Indian men’s singles encounter, Lakshmi decimated an error prone Deepti, also of India, winning 11-4, 11-3 without much ado.

In other encounters, Aparna Poppat of India blanked her compatriot and qualifier M. Raja Reddy 11-0, 11-0, while second seeded Neelima Choudhary survived some anxious moments before squeaking past a fighting Pooja Parekh of India 11-9, 11-7 in an absorbing tussle.

Firoza Batliwala of India conceded just five points in her 11-5, 11-0 drubbing of Sri Lankan I Rohini in a one-sided affair, while the dimunitive Parul Priyadarshini made short work of Nirmala Kotnis 11-6, 11-1.

In the men’s singles, Nikhil Kanitkar survived some tense moments before emerging victor against Mayur Ghatnekar 15-10, 15-2, while seventh seeded Ajit Wijetilek defeated Magrish Palekar 12-15, 15-9, 15-7.

Third seeded Abhin Shyam Gupta, fresh from his title triumph in the Krishna Khaitan junior tournament at the same venue a week ago, routed Anuj Gupta 15-7, 15-3 while eighth seeded Sachin Ratti tamed Sushant Saxena of India 15-11, 15-9.